F1 drivers are hopeful that Sebastian Vettel will remain part of GPDA beyond his racing career considering the value he brings to the table.
There is no doubt that Vettel holds a large value not only to the F1 as a sport but also to the drivers community where his voice matters a lot. He has been part of GPDA for long and been in a larger role of director alongside others.
Among current drivers, George Russell is the other director and the Mercedes driver has kind words for the German who will be missed in the meetings but at the back of his mind, the Brit hopes that Vettel remains part of GPDA in other capacity.
“I think we all know the intellect that Sebastian has, and sharing quite a few meetings with him, behind the scenes, talking with the FIA or F1, or whoever it may be, you do learn how much general knowledge he has; how much Formula 1 knowledge he has,” said Russell.
“And I’m sure that also goes into the technical side. So, I think it is kind of quite inspiring to see how he conducts himself and his business. And you know, above all, he’s just a great bloke, a great human being. And I think in the world today, we lack a lot of people like Seb, so yeah, for sure he’ll be missed.”
Russel was not alone in praising Vettel, with the likes of Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas also echoing the Brit’s thoughts and hoping that he continues on. “Maybe we’ll see if he wants to continue,” said the Australian. “I don’t know, he’s certainly done a good job. Seb, he’s a guy that, you know, a lot of the time just says it how it is. And I don’t mean…
“That’s not in an aggressive way. He’s just very honest and direct. And when we’re on topics like safety then we don’t need to beat around the bush. So I think his character is really good for that position. So yeah, we’ll see. It’s obviously very new news for us. So, yeah, I guess we’ll discuss it internally and have a think about who’s a good replacement? But yeah, he was great for us.”
And the Finn added: “I feel like it’s quite hard to replace Seb in that kind of role, because of the way he is, you know. He’s really straightforward and direct and doesn’t go around things. He just says things as they are and questions many things loudly, so I hope he continues. I’m not sure if he’s keen but it would be great if you can continue.”
Here’s F1 bosses on Sebastian Vettel
Here’s Sebastian Vettel on decision to leave F1
Here’s what F1 drivers said about Sebastian Vettel
Here’s news from Sebastian Vettel about his F1 retirement