Sebastian Vettel could make his racing return in Formula E in 2024, replacing Robin Frijns who has been confirmed to leave ABT Cupra.
Vettel‘s four Formula 1 world championships put him joint-third in the all-time ranks but he’s not raced seriously since retiring from the sport last year.
Promoting the hashtag ‘There’s still a race to win’, Vettel has remained focused on environmentalism so the marriage with Formula E would be a logical one.
“His plans for the future don’t quite fit with ours, Robin was a friend, is a friend and will always be a friend,” ABT boss Thomas Biermaier told ran.de. “Maybe we’ll take a look in Switzerland, there are racing drivers who are very committed to the environment and do a lot of sustainability work.”
Vettel bought a farm in Thurgau, Switzerland in 2009, at the very start of his Red Bull career. Situated just across the German border, he’s remained in the region ever since as one of a number of F1 drivers in the country.
Frijns finished 22nd in the 2023 Formula E season, notching just two point-scoring finishes. His year will be best remembered for a heavy crash on the opening lap of the first E-Prix of the season in Mexico City, where Frijns sustained a fractured wrist.
He was replaced by Kelvin van der Linde, who failed to score in three races, before returning from the Sao Paulo ePrix onwards.
Frijns has yet to make an announcement on his future, although is expected to return to Envision, and has competed in Formula E every year from its second season as a championship. The Dutchman’s best finish is his fourth-place in 2018-19, where he finished 30 points off champion Jean-Eric Vergne.
What’s Vettel done since retiring from F1?
Vettel‘s kept busy since his retirement, starting with his appearance at the 2023 Race of Champions in Sweden in January.
There he reached the semi-finals, dispatching Jamie Chadwick and Tom Kristensen before bowing out to compatriot Mick Schumacher, who himself lost in the final.
Aside from his environmental work, Vettel will drive his championship-winning RB7 at the Nurburgring Nordschleife in September, which should be a sight to behold.
And he’s backed the German SailGP team, who currently sit last in their first season in the competition. He even got a taste of the action on the water, experiencing the catamaran clock speeds of 64 kph with team driver and Olympic sailing medalist Erik Heil.
Where is the next F1 2023 race?
F1 will return from its summer break with the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix from Zandvoort on August 25-27, where championship leader Max Verstappen will be racing on home soil.
