Vettel: My curiosity was so great that I had the idea of trying it

Porsche has delayed a scheduled announcement about its full Le Mans driver lineup this year, ramping up rumours of Sebastian Vettel’s return to top motorsport.

Last weekend, the Volkswagen-owned German marque announced that the retired quadruple world champion was returning to the cockpit for a full test this week at Spain’s Aragon circuit in the Le Mans-ready Porsche 963 hypercar.

The 36-year-old said he will then "see what happens next". On Tuesday, he did a full 118 laps, and afterwards declared that the outing had been "definitely fun".

"I know many drivers who are active in the WEC and Le Mans," said the former Formula 1 driver. "At some point, my curiosity was so great that I had the idea of trying it out myself."

Porsche Penske Motorsport managing director Jonathan Diuguid said: "Having Sebastian here is a unique opportunity for the team. He is a four time Formula 1 world champion.

"We are happy to have him here."

Porsche’s full driver lineup for Le Mans is already set for the regular two cars, but the manufacturer will field a third works car at Le Mans in June.

German magazine Motorsport Aktuell claims Vettel was on the pace of the regular works drivers at his initial test, while Auto Motor und Sport adds that Porsche has now postponed the planned March 28 announcement of the lineup for the third Le Mans entry.

"He came out of the car with a smile," reveals Diuguid, "which is all good."