Sebastian Vettel will get back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car later this year, Red Bull have confirmed.
Vettel retired from the sport at the end of last season. He had spent two seasons with Aston Martin after six years as a Ferrari driver.
But the bulk of his F1 success came in his five years representing Red Bull Racing. After finishing second in his debut season with the team, the German won four consecutive drivers' titles between 2010 and 2013 to cement his name status as one of the best the sport has ever seen.
The 35-year-old walked away from racing at the end of last year, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. Other than an appearance at the Race of Champions, he has stayed out of the spotlight ever since.
But F1 fans will get a chance to watch him drive again soon. Red Bull announced on Wednesday that Vettel will get back behind the wheel of the RB7 he drove to the 2011 title.
It will happen on September 9 at the famous Nurburgring Nordschleife. On the same weekend of the track's 12-hour endurance race, the 'Red Bull Formula Nurburgring' event will see young driver and veterans take part in a series of demo runs.
And the RB7 will not be the only F1 car that hits the track that day. Daniel Ricciardo, a reserve and promotional driver for Red Bull this season, will be driving an RB8 which was used by the team in 2012.
"The myth of the Nordschleife resonated, even if we 'only' drove the GP track at the time," said Vettel of his planned drive. "In any case, it will be great fun to drive my RB7 – fuelled with e-fuel – on the Nordschleife as part of a show run.
"Motorsport is my passion. "It's important to me to show that racing cars can run just as well and quickly with synthetic CO2-neutral fuel. And that is already today!"
The event marks the first time in 10 years an F1 car has hit the Nordschleife. Michael Schumacher got behind the wheel of a Mercedes car in 2013, which was the first such show run since Nick Heidfeld's driver in a BMW Sauber in 2007.
