Sebastian Vettel has been in the news in recent weeks after admitting that a return to Formula 1 could be “attractive” for 2025. But how many other drivers have ended their retirements to return to the sport over the years and More importantly, how did it go? ? We have put together a short list…
Niki Lauda: retired in 1979, returned in 1982
niki lauda He initially ended his F1 career at the 1979 Canadian Grand Prix, where he told Brabham team boss Bernie Ecclestone that he no longer wanted to “drive in circles” but was devoting his energy to getting his own car off the ground. airline business.
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But a few years later, McLaren and its sponsor Marlboro handed the Austrian the carrot of a return to F1 (and the chance to add two more world titles he had achieved with Ferrari in the 1970s), and it was an opportunity that took advantage. .
After a pair of wins in 1982 and a couple more podiums in 1983, McLaren delivered the fast Porsche-powered MP4/2 for 1984, in which Lauda managed to outperform his teammate and rising star. Alain Prost to the title by half a point.
Lauda continued for one more season, achieving his 25th and final victory at the 1985 Dutch Grand Prix, before embarking on a variety of consulting and management roles at Ferrari, Jaguar and, most recently, Mercedes, where he remained until his death. in 2019.
Alan Jones: retired 1981, returned 1983
Alan Jones He made his F1 debut in the mid-1970s and, some five years later, reached the pinnacle of title glory with Williams, becoming only the second Australian driver to achieve the feat after the triple world champion. Jack Brabham.
Having come close to doubling in 1981, coming third in the standings behind teammate Carlos Reutemann and eventual title winner Brabham. Nelson Piquet‘AJ’ decided that he had had enough of traveling the world and announced his retirement.
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Victory in his final race at Caesars Palace was a good way to retire, only for Jones to return to action just over a year later with Arrows, despite breaking his leg in a riding accident. However, when sponsorship money failed to materialise, the two parties went their separate ways, having only started one Grand Prix together.
Some three years later, Jones returned full-time with Haas, but the usual podiums and victories of his initial stint in F1 were exchanged for regular retirements: a fourth place in Austria and a sixth place in Italy, the two most highlights of an otherwise painful 1986. Thereafter he retired again.
Nigel Mansell: retired in 1992, returned in 1994
Nigel Mansell He realized his long-held ambition of becoming F1 world champion with Williams and its all-conquering FW14B in 1992, but as soon as the Brit got his hands on that coveted prize, he abandoned the team and the sport in general.
Indeed, after falling out with team bosses Frank Williams and Patrick Head over the terms of a new deal and the imminent arrival of Prost (with whom he had experienced a strained relationship at Ferrari), Mansell opted to move to the United States and Serie A. Indy Car World Cup.
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A year later, and with the CART title also under his belt, Mansell returned to F1 and Williams followed him. Ayrton sennaAfter his death, he made several appearances throughout 1994 and took a pole position and a double victory at the season finale in Adelaide, only for Williams to give David Coulthard a full-time driving position alongside him. Damon Hill in 1995.
Mansell subsequently headed to another legendary British team, McLaren, but having struggled to fit into the cramped MP4/10B and missing the start of the season, he was unable to familiarize himself with the car when he finally got behind the wheel and retired. definitely later. Two weekends of challenging racing.
Michael Schumacher: retired in 2006, returned in 2010
After the sensational Brawn GP double title in 2009, everything changed for the Brackley team by 2010, when German car giant Mercedes bought the operation and signaled its full-time return to F1 competition, with a view to emulating its success of fifties.
Neither Jenson button (heading to McLaren) nor Rubens Barrichello (moving to Williams) would represent the brand, however, the team bosses signed an all-German line-up of Nico Rosberg and returning world champion Michael Schumacher.
Schumacher, who had racked up a pair of titles with Benetton in the 1990s and five with Ferrari in the 2000s, was keen to add another successful chapter to his F1 story, but although a three-year spell with the Silver Arrows brought him many points, he only got one podium.
However, Schumacher is credited with helping lay the foundation for Mercedes’ success in the turbo-hybrid era that followed: the team won eight constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ titles from 2014 to 2021.
Kimi Raikkonen: retired in 2009, returned in 2012
While his retirement was not officially announced at the time, Kimi raikkonen He stepped away from the F1 grid at the end of a challenging 2009 season with Ferrari, despite having a contract to race with the team, which he signed Fernando Alonso in its place – until 2010.
Over the next two years, the Finn pursued his passion for mixed-surface racing with participation in the World Rally Championship and also tried the world of NASCAR, but the F1 paddock remained interested in his services and he returned with Lotus to 2012.
A brilliant victory – and radio message – followed up at that year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, before kicking off the 2013 campaign with an equally impressive victory in Australia. After scoring several more podiums, Raikkonen soon found himself returning to the team he had left at Ferrari.
While Raikkonen’s next spell at Maranello was not as successful as his first, which included a run to the title in 2007, he added many more trophies to his cabinet and took a popular 21st and final victory at the United States Grand Prix. United in 2018, before embarking on a farewell stage with Alfa Romeo.
Fernando Alonso: Retired in 2018, returned in 2021
Alonso came agonizingly close to winning the title with Ferrari after replacing Raikkonen, but with the top prize remaining elusive during a five-year spell in the red, he returned to McLaren for 2015, where things went from bad to worse thanks to weak Honda power. unit.
Alonso patiently waited for progress over three seasons driven by the Japanese manufacturer, and another when Renault stepped in as his replacement, but with no sign of the race and title challenge he had been longing for, the Spaniard walked away from the race. F1.
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Like Raikkonen, Alonso tried a number of different categories in the following years, with highlights including a pair of wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the overall World Endurance Championship title, as well as appearances in the IMSA Championship. SportsCar, the Dakar Rally and the Indianapolis 500.
Alonso was then lured back to F1 by Alpine, or ‘Team Enstone’, where he won his pair of world titles in 2005 and 2006, with a move to Aston Martin and a move up the grid soon after as his quest for that third championship. keep going.
Furthermore, the Spaniard has just signed for Aston Martin until 2026. with chapters of his F1 journey yet to be written.