"I feel really lonely"- Sebastian Vettel's sarcastic reply to joining social media just before 2022 F1 Canadian GP

Sebastian Vettel shocked the entire F1 world today by announcing his plans to retire from F1 at the end of the 2022 season. Some may have seen it coming as the four-time world champion had previously stated that he would consider joining social media when the time came.

The German finally dipped his toe into the world of social media earlier today before taking to Instagram to announce his plans to retire. Vettel now plans to spend more time with his wife and children after 15 years of racing.

Sebastian Vettel, however, has always been averse to the concept of social media and wasn't warm to the idea even a month ago.

In an interview with Matt Gallagher from WTF1, the Aston Martin driver was asked about his apprehension towards social media. Vettel sarcastically said:

“I don’t know. I feel really lonely, I have to say. I am the only one left out, not by choice.”

Taking up a much more serious demeanor, the former Red Bull and Ferrari driver continued, saying:

“I don’t know, I just never started it and I’m quite happy. I also don’t have the apps and I am busy enough with the phone and trying not to use the phone. Because I also find, I don’t know, when somebody else shows me on his phone, I don’t know whatever account or something, then it’s really interesting; it just keeps going up, going up, going up and there’s more and more. So, I am quite defensive in terms of these things. Because otherwise, I can see why people are... I don’t want to say addicted in a bad way... but why people are spending so much time on it.”

Sebastian Vettel has always been vocal about the more pressing issues that he feels society as a whole needs to address. Now that he has plans to hang up his gloves and is finally on social media, the 35-year-old could use his new platform to keep raising his voice for the things that matter to him if he chooses.

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Who could replace Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin F1 in 2023?

With Sebastian Vettel officially stepping down from F1, the question most people are asking is who will replace the German at Aston Martin next year.

The first name on most lips is of reigning F2 world champion Oscar Piastri, who had to settle for the role of Alpine's reserve driver in 2022. The Australian is said to be actively exploring the possibility of landing a full-time seat on the grid for 2023 and could end up as a successor to Vettel.

Pierre Gasly is also another option Team Silverstone could choose to pursue, with Red Bull closing their doors to the Frenchman for the foreseeable future. Daniel Ricciardo, who has failed to cut the mustard since moving to McLaren, could also be available depending on the circumstances.

Aston Martin are expected to have the finances to be able to attract top talent to their team after striking a deal with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF). They will, however, also need to provide a competitive car that will be enticing enough for big names to make the switch to them.

None of this will be Vettel's headache as he prepares to embark on his final 10 races in F1, starting with this weekend's 2022 F1 Hungarian GP.