The vacant F1 drive at Audiꦑ could be the perfect place for Sebastian Vettel to launch a comeback.

The four-time Formula 1 champion flirted with♛ a return to the grid earlier this season.

He had touted his own n🅷ame as Mercedes co꧃nsidered how to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton.

ജA German legend driving for the German manufacturer would have brought back memories of Michael Schumacher’s stint with Mercedes, which laid the foundations for Hamilton’s later success.

That opport🐟unity has🐭 passed Vettel by, but another potential chance exists which is also based in Germany.

Audi intend to make a splash when they enter F1 full🐼y in 2026, when t✱he new regulations kick in.

For 🍌one more year they will run as Sauber but their signing of Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg has given them a German presence💜 in their car next season.

Hulkenberg’s teammate is yet to be decided but neither of the team’s current drivers, Valtteri Bottas𓆉 or Guanyu Zhou, have been committed to yet.

Could this be the pe🐻rfect chance for Vettel to come back into F1?

He already has a couple ♛of close allies within the team.

Jonathan Wheatley will leave his role as Red Bull sporting d♓irector to become Audi team principal, and ex-Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto is their new Chief 🌠Operating and Chief Technical Officer.

Vettel’s four titles with Red Bull came with Wheatley aಞlongside him. Then his spell at Ferrari - which did deliver the desired results - came with Binotto as head of engines, then as the team pr🦹incipal.

Still just 37, Vettel is younger than Hamilton and Fernand🏅o Alonso.

But, when debating a comeback earlier this year, he did admit that the compe♊titiveness of his car would be a factor. Sauber have not scored a single point this F1 season. They represent a long-term project rather than an immediate opportunity to win grands prix.

“I think it depends on the package,” Vettel told Sky Sports earlieওr this year about returning to F1.

"I retired from Formula 1 not to come back, but I also did say that you never 🍷know. So I think 💞it still stands.

"Obviously, there's things that I miss✱, which is mostly 🐬the competition. And things that I don't miss, so that hasn't changed.”

Damon Hill previously advised Mercedes agains😼t bringing Vettel back, saying: “He burned very brightly for an intense period. Then, something hap🐠pened. It petered out. It bumped along.”

But,꧟ at Audi, Vettel could be the face of a massive new Germany-based F1 project which is determined🅺 to make an impact.

Aft𓂃er two years away from the sport, since retiring a🐼fter a stint at Aston Martin, is that enough to tempt him back? And would Audi take a chance on bringing a legend back in from the cold?