Sebastian Vettel says 2020 was the first time when he had questions in his mind about him racing in F1 and if he had a future.
Even though Vettel had two low key seasons with Aston Martin in 2021 and 2022, it was the 2022 F1 season with Ferrari where questions popped up on his mind about his existence in the sport and if he should continue or not beyond that season.
It was a disaster not just for Vettel but for Ferrari on the whole where they finished sixth in the standings as the German was 13th against teammate Charles Leclerc who was eighth. It shook things up and eventually the two parted ways beyond 2020.
Ferrari opted for Carlos Sainz, leaving Vettel with no drive for 2021 until an olive branch from Aston Martin. They pushed out Sergio Perez who found a place at Red Bull. But for the German, he had questions about his future even before the dialogue started.
He eventually agreed to join but in the two seasons, he made-up his mind about leaving F1, having learnt a lot about himself and how he can contribute outside of the sport. At Ferrari, he seemed to be restricted but at Aston Martin, he opened up to outside things.
“I think, looking back, obviously 2020 wasn’t a good year for me,” started Vettel. “And then it was the first time when I was really at the point of, you know, do I have a drive? Do I want to drive? Should I stop? And I felt like I wanted to drive and I was very grateful for the opportunity that I was given, obviously, hopes were high, because the team was performing so well in 2020. And the target was to keep doing that.
“It came differently but I think those years have been very important for me: one for the driving, but also, maybe to have the room and the possibility to grow even more off-track. And some of the things that I’ve addressed that I feel are very, very important to all of us, having had the freedom and space to do so. But also from a sporting point of view. Fernando touched on it, we were racing each other quite a lot in the last two years.
“I don’t think I’ve had a lot of races where I started inside the top 10 And it’s a different race, it’s a lot more busy, it’s more hectic, a lot more things happen. It’s very clean when you start from the top five positions and you don’t need to worry about it. Whereas if you start further back, anything is always possible.
“And also, it was showing me the effort that a team in the midfield, that you don’t even know, in a way, it exists when you’re always at the front, puts in a lot of effort and maybe even more effort, and doesn’t get any reward. Teams but also drivers, I think the commitment is as high as it is at the front but you guys all care for the front which is the name of the game and the sport and that’s how it is and how it should be. So yeah, I think lots of different aspects that taught me different lessons about our sport, my racing, but also about life,” summed up Vettel.
Here’s mini documentary for Sebastian Vettel
Here’s potential earning of Sebastian Vettel
Here’s Fernando Alonso on his first day with Aston Martin
Here’s Sebastian Vettel about his final race
Here’s Sebastian Vettel on his last race
