There are still four Grands Prix to go for Sebastian Vettel before saying goodbye to Formula 1 and enjoying his retirement. In 15 years, the German has built up one of the finest records in the history of the discipline, but beyond the driver, he has also developed a lot as a person.
“Life brings its share of lessons and then it’s up to you to decide if you want to learn something from it. Being a Formula 1 driver is an accelerated way of life. I think the same is true for most professional athletes.”
“The same things happen as in normal life, but it’s more condensed in terms of time. I must have matured faster than my schoolmates, because I took my racing career very seriously. and I was dealing with a lot of adults.”
If the German did not have a “normal” life like everyone else, that did not prevent him from having enjoyed the experience in his younger years.
“I still managed to do all the stupid things that teenagers do with their friends, but at 19 your world is different because you hang out with people in their 30s, 40s, even 50s.”
“Dating older people didn’t make life dull or boring, on the contrary. But I had to mature quickly. If you want to achieve something, you have to be involved and disciplined.”
“I feel like I’ve been through so much in the last 15 years that I can’t take it all in, I’ve met so many people, visited so many countries. It’s taught me a lot, and only the Time will tell how well I listened.”
The four-time world champion will have faced many opponents during his F1 career, but he will remember two rivals in particular
“Lewis Hamilton, especially when I was at Ferrari. Lewis was always at the top. Before that it was probably Fernando Alonso when he was at Ferrari.”
“I was not used to riding at the back of the peloton”
If Vettel will leave F1 at the end of the season, it is not because he has lost his love for it.
“I still love this sport. I still love racing. The decision to retire was difficult, but I had been thinking regarding it for a while. I know how much this discipline requires commitment, and I tell me it’s a good time to do other things.”
If these last two years at Aston Martin F1 will have been more difficult, the German has no regrets having signed for the team in 2021.
“No, not at all. These two years have not been for nothing, even if the results obtained or the points scored have not met expectations. I loved working with the team, I met new people with different approaches.”
“These two years were difficult because I was not used to riding at the back of the peloton. It was a new experience, difficult at times, and I achieved a lot of things.”
“I realized that you only see what’s around you. If you’re in the front, you only see what’s going on in front. If you’re in the back, you don’t see what’s happening in the back, except you’re also looking forward because you want to be there.”
“But when you’re up front you don’t watch what’s going on at the back because it doesn’t impact you, and you don’t realize how hard these teams are working to be in the position they are in. Just because you’re not getting results doesn’t mean you’re not working as hard.”
“I’m very happy and proud to have worked with such a talented and dedicated group of people at Aston Martin F1. Although it wasn’t great fun in terms of results, it was great to work with everyone and to help the team build a future.”
