Sebastian Vettel talks about Porsche Penske test and Le Mans bid, adds on F1 situation and controversies involving Christian Horner.
Vettel is back in the news after his recent test with Porsche Penske Motorsport in the Porsche 963 at Aragon. He joined the German outfit’s WEC line-up, who were preparing for this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours race in the lead Hypercar category.
It was a solid outing for Vettel who did the test to see how the car feels and if he will be interested in racing. Amid the chatter, there is always links to F1 especially with the departure of Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari, which surprised him as well.
Vettel is always in touch with people in F1 and agreed that he has spoken to Toto Wolff – but not necessarily about the seat. He added that he has spoken to other team bosses as well and recently Oliver Bearman revealed about receiving a text from the German.
At the moment, there is no concrete decision if he will race in Le Mans 24 Hours and even F1 as he has his family to think about along with various other activities that he is involved with. He also gave his thoughts on the controversies surrounding Horner.
Here’s what Vettel said in an interview to Sky News –
Porsche test and Le Mans –
Vettel: “Maybe, I don’t know yet. I’ve been testing. I was curious, so I wanted to see how it feels. It’s obviously a different discipline. It’s still racing, but it’s a different car, different discipline. Lots of things that excite me, lots of different things, not necessarily just looking at something behind the wheel but also outside the car. I am (tempted) and I’m not. I am obviously also looking for lots of other things and there’s lots of other things that do interest me outside of racing.”
Mercedes seat, F1 return –
Vettel: “I don’t know. There is bits that do excite me, of course, when I think about it. But there is also bits that don’t. The thrill, the speed. I think the competition mostly, really, is what I miss. Driving quick is not the only thing, but it’s really the competition. I’m talking to a lot of people because I know them, but not very specific. I mean obviously it does cross my mind, I do think about it but it’s the main thought. I have three kids at home, it’s busy every day, so there’s a lot of other thoughts I have. I am speaking to Toto. I don’t know if that qualifies as Mercedes, but about other things. There’s ideas that I have, events that I’m planning going forwards, so I did speak to a lot of other team principals as well, and not only about racing.
Hamilton’s move –
Vettel: “I was surprised, like I guess most of us. But exciting. Obviously, he’s looking for a new challenge and it will be different to see him in red, in a different colour. Charles is good, Charles is easy. He’s very quick, very competitive but so is Lewis. So it’s more difficult I guess for the team to manage.”
Horner situation, women’s position in F1 –
Vettel: “Well, I mean, obviously, there’s been a lot of talk since the beginning of the year. I think with these things, it’s always difficult to know everything. And it would be nice if there was simply more transparency so that you really, you know, could have more of an opinion. I think it’s always difficult if you read one thing, then another thing, and then the opposite, and then I think, you know, like now, things are going round in circles. The shame is that obviously, Max is doing a great job. The team, a lot of individuals that I remember from my time there, are doing a great job in the background and that’s sort of forgotten when the subject hovers around something else.
“F1 is changing, but it’s an old-fashioned business in many ways. So first of all, there weren’t many, but, you know, the numbers were going up. So when I started and when I left, there were a lot more women in the paddock and a lot more women not just following the sport, but also working in the sport. So I think that’s a positive change. But I think really, like everywhere, else there’s still room for improvement.”
Here’s how the Porsche test panned out
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