Vettel took the initiative for comeback: 'Porsche gave me the chance'

Sebastian Vettel has made his comeback behind the wheel of a racing car. The four-time Formula 1 world champion successfully tested the Porsche 963 on the Motorland Aragon circuit. The German completed 118 laps, over 581 kilometres, in two double stints. It was the first time Vettel drove a hypercar, with which Porsche use in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Afterwards, Vettel was enthusiastic about the test: "Of course, I also keep an eye on other motorsport disciplines and know many drivers who are active in the WEC and Le Mans," explained the German, who put an end to his F1 career after the 2022 season. "At some point, my curiosity was so great that I had the idea of trying it out myself. 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."

Vettel active at Le Mans

Vettel did not indicate whether he plans to become one of the drivers for Porsche in the WEC. The story goes that the German will take a seat in one of the three Porsches aiming for the win at Le Mans later this season. It is possible that Vettel will drive one of the customer teams in the WEC prior to that. Imola or Spa are options in that case.