Sebastian Vettel may be offered a new job by Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
The Italian admitted in Hungary that quadruple world champion Vettel’s decision to retire at the age of 35 late this year came as a surprise.
"I read it on the news," said Domenicali last weekend. "Now I will speak to Sebastian."
Domenicali has now told Germany’s Sport Bild that the post-retirement announcement conversation with Vettel did indeed take place.
"Among other things, we talked about his decision and the future," said the former Ferrari boss.
"Sebastian will always be associated with Formula 1. And of course we want that connection to remain close in the future.
"If he is interested in becoming part of our system and the approaches fit together, I would of course welcome him here," Domenicali, 57, added.
"But we already know that, after the season, he wants to sort himself out and enjoy time with his family."
Sport Bild speculates that Vettel’s new F1 role could be related to his recent activism in the area of environmentalism, sustainability and social progress.
But Domenicali hit back at the Aston Martin driver’s recent claim that Formula 1 is lagging behind in the area of sustainable technological progress.
Vettel made his point clear by running his 1992 Williams, and even a 1922 Aston Martin, at recent grands prix with CO2-free fuel.
"It makes a difference whether you have to get a single car prepared for one or two laps or twenty cars prepared for 70 laps and a whole season," Domenicali insisted.
"We’re not behind with technology - on the contrary. We’re ahead of schedule.
"I will definitely experience environmentally-friendly fuel in Formula 1 during my lifetime," he predicted.