Sebastian Vettel has emphatically cooled the fresh speculation about him making a move back to Formula 1.
The retired four-time world champion recently enjoyed a notable test session with Porsche's top hypercar team and is reportedly in line to join the German brand's third entry at Le Mans this June.
"There's a lot going on at the moment," he shared with Bild, "on and off the track. But Formula 1 is not an issue for me at the moment."
At 36, Vettel found the Porsche test to be "quite fun" and maintains a 'never say never' attitude regarding his racing future.
"But the intention was never for me to stop and then start again," the German racer clarified.
Vettel's hesitancy to return to high-level motorsport, especially Formula 1, stems significantly from his dedication to his young family.
"Yes, sometimes it happens that one of the little ones says 'daddy, don't do that'," he recounted during a new RTL interview, highlighting his children's concerns about him being away too much. "'Then you'd be away so much again'," his children tell him.
"I've also really enjoyed the time with the children," Vettel expressed. "Maybe the mood will change again, but at the moment things are still going very well."
Interestingly, Vettel has had discussions with Mercedes' Toto Wolff following Lewis Hamilton's announcement of his switch to Ferrari next year, however,
"We spoke on the phone," he revealed, "and of course we also talked about the fact that a lot is happening at Mercedes. But we didn't specifically talk about me taking that place."
Vettel also mentioned to Sky Deutschland: "I'm still in contact with people who I've known directly or indirectly for so many years or who have been part of the circus. But we haven't talked specifically about what the future might bring."
