Christmas came early this year for Formula 1 fans as the most repeated wish on any fans’ list came true. That’s right, after a short hiatus, the Honey Badger is back! Daniel Ricciardo has clawed his way back into the sport that so cruelly spat him out at the end of the 2022 season. It all kickstarted, reportedly, for the Australian at the Pirelli tire test in Silverstone. That being said, Ricciardo wasn’t the only one there plotting a return back to the race track. 4x champion, Sebastian Vettel was there, too!
F1’s most beloved champion, Vettel is surely the next one on the list of F1 drivers we’d like to see return. And return, he did. After making a quick pitstop to surprise the Honey Badger as he geared up to commence the test that led to his F1 return, Vettel suited up himself to drive a legendary car around the iconic Silverstone circuit.
the way Daniel Ricciardo looks at Sebastian Vettel when he realises it’s him 🥹
— WTF1 (@wtf1official) July 11, 2023
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As soon as Vettel got his Danny Ric greeting out of the way, he jumped into the famous McLaren MP 4/8 driven by none other than the late great Ayrton Senna in his very last season with McLaren. And on a day that was marked by Ricciardo’s comeback, fans were quick to speculate one for Vettel, too.
“Miss Seeing Vettel…” – Fans Ready to Ditch Sergio Perez for Sebastian Vettel
What a fairytale it would be to see Vettel return to his old stomping ground at Red Bull. And with the Bulls offering a second chance to its prodigal son Ricciardo, fans speculated Vettel’s appearance as the death knell for Sergio Perez‘s Red Bull run after a string of poor results have marred his strong start to the season.
One fan even commented, “Is Seb going to replace Checo?“
Let’s take a look at just a few of the fan reactions to Vettel’s epic Silverstone comeback.
seb did WHAT https://t.co/YbawdCEPED
— teh o ais supremacist (@saltfea) July 12, 2023
oh ur just taking the piss out of me at this point https://t.co/eZpCctHx47
— kyra (@ilovemyfrogbear) July 12, 2023
What a damned sight😍😍🤩🤩 https://t.co/FNKvLJtuYC
— Barstool Formula 1 (@F1Barstool) July 12, 2023
Is Seb going to replace Checo??🤔
— Danika Pereira (@brightstar71) July 12, 2023
He’ll be back https://t.co/AJPuDjMtA8
— Dec (@DAcornley) July 12, 2023
It wasn’t all speculation, though. Fans also took this opportunity to revel in the beauty and allure of old-school Formula 1. Fans were swooning over the 4x champion giving an iconic and beautifully loud F1 giant the proper treatment.
This is what an F1 car should sound like 🤩 https://t.co/8MrfyXnWfU
— drag dem bumbaclaaat to hell (@rayxkilli) July 12, 2023
Literally poetry in motion https://t.co/qoc8F8Kpkt
— I'm Guyrbailey99 on Threads (@guyrbailey) July 12, 2023
That sound is so awesome bruhhhh https://t.co/cbFfEvRR2B
— #LM8 🇦🇷 World Champion (@noizzyyyyy) July 12, 2023
https://t.co/4Hlif50Uos pic.twitter.com/ioDsmmwBTn
— Ramoncito. (@ramaugusto) July 12, 2023
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WATCH THIS STORY | Everything You Need to Know About Daniel Ricciardo’s Famous Tattoos
I miss seeing Vettel on the grid https://t.co/cg7J148XOl
— Mikey Brasi (@mikeybrasi87) July 12, 2023
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With Daniel Ricciardo returning from the Hungarian Grand Prix onwards, will we see Sebastian Vettel follow suit and make his storied comeback to F1 a reality?