Sebastian Vettel has thrown cold water on brand new speculation that he’s mounting an attempted return to Formula 1.
The retired quadruple world champion had a high-profile test with Porsche’s works hypercar this week, and is strongly linked with the German marque’s third entry at Le Mans for June.
"There’s a lot going on at the moment," he told Bild, "on and off the track. But Formula 1 is not an issue for me at the moment."
Vettel, 36, admitted his Porsche test was "quite fun" and he continues to say "you never know" when asked about a potential return to racing.
"But the intention was never for me to stop and then start again," said the German.
Part of Vettel’s reason for being reluctant about a return to top motor racing - let alone the pinnacle of motorsport, Formula 1 - is his young family.
"Yes, sometimes it happens that one of the little ones says ’daddy, don’t do that’," he told RTL when asked if his children are worried about his return. "’Then you’d be away so much again’."
"I’ve also really enjoyed the time with the children," Vettel said. "Maybe the mood will change again, but at the moment things are still going very well."
Fascinatingly, Vettel says he has actually talked with Toto Wolff since Lewis Hamilton announced his decision to switch to Ferrari next year.
"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 told 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."