- Retired driver Sebastian Vettel is scheduled to make his comeback to the Formula One circuit
- He will be running practise laps in Germany’s iconic Nordschleife track for Red Bull
- Vettel announced his retirement in 2022
Retired driver Sebastian Vettel is scheduled to make his comeback to the Formula One circuit together with ex-Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo running practice laps in Germany’s iconic Nordschleife track.
Vettel announced his retirement in 2022 and walked off at the end of the season with four World Championship titles.
He called in time after a storied 15-year career on the grid, but will now be reunited with the famous Ricciardo when he hits the circuit on September 9.
In their old vehicles, which will be powered by carbon-neutral e-fuel, Vettel and his former teammate will complete exhibition laps for Red Bull. This is a highly significant cause for the German, who is a fervent supporter of sustainability and environmental protection.
Sebastian Vettel. Photo. REUTERS/Lisa Leutner
Although he only drove on the GP track, the myth of the Nordschleife persisted for Vettel. He sees it as a lot of fun to perform a demonstration run in his former RB7 car on the Nordschleife track using e-fuel.
He indicated that motorsport still runs deep in his system and it’s a noble cause for him to show the world that he still can race on carbon-neutral fuel which is better for the environment.
“Motorsport is my passion. It’s important to me to show that racing cars can run just as well and quickly with synthetic CO2-neutral fuel. And that is already today!” Mail Sports reports.
As the test driver for Red Bull, Ricciardo is presently taking a sort of gap year. He announced last month that he will also be performing an exhibition lap at the renowned track, which is a part of the larger Nuerburgring circuit.
The Nurburgring 12-hour race and the exhibition laps are both spectacular events for Red Bull.
The renowned Nordschleife circuit, where grand prix racing took place from 1951 to 1976, hasn’t seen a modern F1 race car in action for over a decade.
Inaction in this circuit followed the horrific and fiery incident that legendary race driver Niki Lauda narrowly escaped forcing F1 to strike it out.
Nordschleife track in Germany. Photo/Discover Lexus
Six years later, F1 softened on its stance and Nick Heidfeld became the first driver to complete laps at the track following Lauda’s horrific tragedy.
Then, the legendary Michael Schumacher became the last Formula One driver to compete on the Nordschleife track in 2013 which was months before his skiing accident.
With its blind crests and breathtaking, tight curves and turns, it is one of the toughest tests for any driver’s skill. It passes through the breathtaking German countryside, gaining or losing 1000 feet in height each lap.
Vettel will have pleasant recollections of the RB7 that he will pilot during the exhibition laps. He won the 2011 world championship in this track.
A month ago, the former Aston Martin driver spoke of how strange it felt being away from F1 action.
He said that he needed to focus on his family and other private business interests when he retired in 2022.
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