Talk:Sebastian Vettel

Update the photo already

Vettel doesn’t look this young and fresh anymore and he’s driving for a different team. He’s more mature, now an elder statesmen. This photo is dated and doesn’t acknowledge what he’s been through in the past 7 years. Gaff (talk) 06:05, 11 April 2022 (UTC)

I've updated the photo to a more recent photograph. Saschaporsche (talk) 09:23, 20 December 2022 (UTC)

Now racing on Germany's SailGP team

Sebastian Vettel has taken to the water, racing on Germany's F50 entry in SailGP. Mkelley20740 (talk) 20:30, 6 May 2024 (UTC)

"Former"

@DownardSpiral1000, Vettel has not confirmed retirement from motor racing and still competes in the RoC every year. It has only been two years since his last competitive appearance, which is still within a normal sabbatical range, and was just last year discussing returning to the big leagues. Per WP:CRYSTALBALL: Wikipedia is not a collection of unverifiable speculation, rumors, or presumptions. MB2437 21:28, 8 July 2025 (UTC)

1a. We don't need to wait for a confirmation if it's reasonably clear that his career is finish.

1b. Race of Champions is irrelevant because it's not listed in the racing career summary, and is an exhibition like the 1984 Nürburgring Race of Champions that isn't a points-paying race in any auto racing championship. David Coulthard competes in it regularly but is obviously retired.

2. It's exceptional that drivers come back from sabbaticals in the first place and he explicitly said he retired from F1 and hasn't raced competitively since or has been serious about returning. He's basically said "well maybe I'll return if I have a top car and I feel like it" (which is what most drivers would say) and the source is from over a year ago. The only substantial thing is a test in the Porsche 963 and that was over a year ago too. Do you think we need to wait 5-10 years before we say a driver is retired? Or if someone retires at 28 and decides to come back in their 40s then they were never retired? DownwardSpiral1000 (talk) 13:36, 9 July 2025 (UTC)

1a. Again, Wikipedia is not a collection of unverifiable speculation, rumors, or presumptions.

2. We would need to wait that long if there is still no confirmation whether he will return or not. "Former" is misleading if he is still openly looking for opportunities and completing tests. A sportscar career is still very much on the cards. I'd say it would be justified if the rumoured Red Bull role comes through and it's full-time. MB2437 19:00, 9 July 2025 (UTC)

But he's not though, he's done one test and hasn't been in a competitive race in years. It's silly to try to hold retirements to a standard of verification because drivers may not announce their retirement or they may change their mind after they've announced it. What's the point in qualifying whether a driver is retired at all then? DownwardSpiral1000 (talk) 20:16, 9 July 2025 (UTC)

Verifiability is a non-negotiable component of WP:BLPs. Most retired drivers qualify once they move into a new full-time profession, as the vast majority of them do—most sources will describe them as a former driver at that point. MB2437 20:27, 9 July 2025 (UTC)

There's no real sources that state he's retired, until he says that he has 0 intention of returning to motorsport or does take that spot at Red Bull, we can't assume that he's never going to race in a competitive series again. In an interview just a few days ago, he said he "isn't ruling out the possibility" of participating in the 24HRS of Le Mans. IMO it doesn't make sense to call him retired when he himself doesn't'. QWisps (talk) 10:40, 20 July 2025 (UTC)

agree nothing i heard of him retiring. TheSpecialOne799 (talk) 00:04, 29 July 2025 (UTC)

Whether he has retired or not isn't relevant. "Former" means it is something he did in the past, but is no longer doing. He raced in the past but is no longer racing. This is true regardless of why he isn't racing (which I agree, is unknown). Whether he is inactive because he is retired (and hasn't confirmed it), or because it is a sabitical, or because noone will hire him; whether his inactivity is permenant or temporary; he is not an active racing driver anymore. Therefore it is accurate and correct to describe him as a former racing driver until such a time that he is once again active. SSSB (talk) 16:27, 6 September 2025 (UTC)

so you would call a footballer on a doping ban a former football player as they are an inactive due to their ban. and is Diego Costa no longer a footballer due to no one hiring him even though he hasn't specified that he has retired. TheSpecialOne799 (talk) 16:35, 6 September 2025 (UTC)

Your comparing apples and oranges. Vettel is not on a ban. It also depends on contracts. As far as I can tell from Costa's wikipedia article, he is still signed with Botafogo. Therefore he is still working as a footballer. If he doesn't have an active contract, and he hasn't for some time, then, by the definition of the word "former", he would be a former footballer, yes. In the case of a doper, again, by definition, they are a former footballer. Although in that the case the lead sentence would probably read "X is a footballer serving a doping ban.", not "X is a former footballer." Which is why you are comparing apples and oranges. SSSB (talk) 16:42, 6 September 2025 (UTC)

No a footballer on a doping ban is still a footballer as they haven't retired from playing. they are a footballer who is serving a doping ban. when Pogba was banned they said Paul Pogba is a french football player who is currently serving a doping ban and is ineligible to play.

also Costa is a free agent hasn't played since 2024 but the lead sentence of "Diego Costa is a brazillian football player who most recently played for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Gremio", is a perfect way of describing it as he hasn't retired, he just a free agent. TheSpecialOne799 (talk) 17:04, 6 September 2025 (UTC)

He is still actively testing.

On a more relevant point that the one above, are Pérez and Bottas both "former" drivers then? Both are inactive and will remain so until their contracts for next year begin. MB2437 16:54, 6 September 2025 (UTC)

To claim someone is a former driver means that they no longer race AND have no intention to race in the future. The standard practice around every sport biography (that I'm aware of) is that you wouldn't claim former until someone has announced their retirement or obviously have no intention of coming back. Vettel is most definitely a former F1 driver but he's not a former racing driver, as he has never retired nor announced his retirement from all forms of motor racing, in fact (as I linked before) he has said he is considering competitive motorsports! The motorsports wikiproject doesn't use the term "inactive" but that is essentially where Vettel is at this point in his career. QWisps (talk) 00:57, 7 September 2025 (UTC)

Return

There is no any information about past possibilities to return and Vettel's final decision. Eurohunter (talk) 20:15, 12 February 2026 (UTC)