VIDEO: F1 cars return to the Nürburgring Nordschleife

After having been away from Formula 1 for almost two years, Sebastien Vettel’s grin couldn’t be wider as he slid back into one of the Red Bull Formula 1 cars that gave him so much success.

What’s more, Vettel and a brace of F1 royalty would return F1 cars to the most formidable circuit on the planet for the first time in 37 years.

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Aboard the RB7 which he used to claim the 2011 championship, Vettel – joined by David Coulthard who subbed for the injured Daniel Ricciardo – accompanied famous racers including Gerhard Berger in a 1995 Ferrari 412 T2, Ralf Schumacher in a race-winning 2003 Williams-BMW FW25 and Mattias Lauda in a Ferrari 312 B3-74 raced by father Niki in 1974 in lapping the 20.83km Nordschleife circuit as part of the Red Bull Formula Nürburgring Festival.

“The car was very nice. The sound is great… the car was very nice, very different in these cars,” Vettel said in an Instagram Live video broadcast.

“Half the crew were there [from 2011] when we had the mega year. The seat still fits, pedals are right, all that together brings back a lot of memories.”

The demo laps at the Nurburgring over the weekend marked the first time in ten years that a modern Formula 1 car has circulated the Nordschleife, which was last used for a Grand Prix in 1976.

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Vettel, who famously sold off his Ferrari collection after being dropped by the team in 2020, has spent some of his retirement in the seat of some of his own incredibly impressive collection of F1 cars which include a 1992 Williams FW14B and a 1993 McLaren MP4/8.

Like the cars run at the weekend’s demo event, the older machines now use synthetic fuel, a subject close to the four-time world champion’s heart.

“I feel like I’m in a time capsule. Lots of memories came back,” said Vettel. “Everything fits together here today – including the fact that we now use synthetic, ie CO₂-neutral fuel.”

Vettel said that the cars need no changes to run the fuel, and that their drivability and performance is unaffected.

“Motorsport is my great passion and I want to preserve the sport. Fuels can be produced synthetically and serve as a substitute,” he said.

“This may not be the only solution, but it is part of the solution. It is important that we all realize that we have to do something, and the best thing is [that] you don’t feel any difference in the car; it’s just as much fun.”