Sebastian Vettel said he is “not allowed to race anymore”, a heart-warming order which has come from his children.

The four-time World Champion made that reveal as he discussed settling into a family life, following his retirement from Formula 1 after the 2022 season.

Sebastian Vettel F1 comeback called off…by his kids!

Vettel won four World Championships and a total of 53 grands prix across his illustrious career, but the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix proved to be his final start, with Vettel making the decision to retire.

Since then, the odd rumour of an F1 comeback has bubbled up and fizzled out quickly, with his racing involvement since limited to appearing in the Race of Champions and testing the Porsche 963, though it did not lead to a 2025 Le Mans entrance.

“Of course, I also keep an eye on other motorsport disciplines and know many drivers who are active in the WEC and Le Mans. At some point, my curiosity was so great that I had the idea of trying it out myself,” Vettel explained in 2024. “Porsche gave me the opportunity to test a current hypercar with the 963.

“After the seat adjustment, the simulator session and the roll-out in Weissach, I already had a good feeling. Driving the Porsche 963 on the track here in Aragon – that was definitely fun.

“I first had to get used to everything and find my rhythm. The driving experience is different simply because of the roof over your head, as well as dealing with the higher weight and the tyres. The Porsche works drivers were very helpful and explained to me what was special and what I needed to get used to. That made it easy for me.”

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Vettel is far from a stranger to the F1 paddock these days, having continued his social and environmental work with various initiatives, though he retired from the sport to focus more time on his family. He married Hanna Prater in 2019 and they have three children.

“I think it has worked out well,” Vettel said on the transition from F1 to family life at home, when speaking on Sky Germany’s ‘Backstage Boxengasse’ podcast.

“The family peace still exists! [Laughs] I’m used to it.”

In fact, Vettel’s kids enjoy him being around to such an extent that he will not be resuming his racing career on their watch.

“My children told me I’m not allowed to race anymore because they like it so much that I am there,” he said. “That’s of course wonderful, hearing something like that.”

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