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Sebastian Vettel recently revealed that his decision to retire was a long-thought decision and not one taken overnight. The German believes winning and fighting at the front was vitally important for him to continue in the sport.
Addressing the on-site press after his retirement announcement, Vettel said:
“Well, the timeline takes us years back. It’s not a decision I made overnight. The final decision was taken yesterday by telling the team I am going to stop and not going to continue, but there was a lot of thought leading into this. I think it’s the right time for me to do other things. I know how intense this job is and how much dedication goes into this and if you do this I am convinced you have to do it the right way. I don’t get much pleasure and motivation from being here and just being part of it, so the aim is and always has been to win and compete at the front.”
Suggesting that there was no better time to announce his retirement, Sebastian Vettel revealed it was a decision that built up over time. The German revealed that he had informed the team a day earlier, but there was an ongoing discussion. He felt he had to move on to other areas of his life, given the dedication and time the sport consumes. The four-time world champion also felt he lacked the motivation to continue without the ability to win and fight for titles.
Reflecting upon his career with Aston Martin and previous teams, Sebastian Vettel said:
“I think I have been very privileged to have so many great teams and cars in the past that I was always able to achieve so many things. I think in terms of greatness, this team doesn’t fall short of any of the ones before, but obviously we are not as strong as we would have loved to be. So we didn’t race for front positions, but in terms of effort, team spirit, and quality, there is all the right ingredients and I do think the team will make progress in the year to come and the years after.”
Sebastian Vettel has not ruled out racing in the future with his retirement from F1
The German champion believes the time-consuming nature of the sport was demanding on his children and family. Although he has decided to retire, Sebastian Vettel has not ruled out the possibility of racing in another series in the future. Describing his love for racing, he feels the motivation to compete in F1 might not be there, but he will contemplate other possibilities if he still feels like continuing to race.
Stating his reasons for retiring and his outlook for the future, the Aston Martin driver said:
“As I said, so much dedication going in also means a lot of time in your head and with your thoughts, but also physically time away from home, from kids and family. I have grown other things, other than the children, other interests and views have grown and I can’t ignore these voices. So ultimately, the questions got bigger and bigger and more central, to a point where I make the decision. It’s not a 100 percent or zero percent decision, it’s not like I hate racing from now on, I still love racing, but it’s probably the majority that pulls me in a different direction. I’m not making way, because it’s my decision, but I’m happy to head in a different direction.”
On whether he would contemplate racing in other forms of motorsport after retiring, Sebastian Vettel said:
“I’ve also looked at others and how they handled and tried to maybe find something else that tried to give them the adrenaline buzz or rush, but as far as I can tell now, it’s something you have to be prepared for. I feel I am prepared as much as I can today, to say that it’s gone and will not be there. If I want to race something - my kids want to race me every day in all sorts of things, some I enjoy more and some I enjoy less - but if I want to race more I’m sure I will be able to think of something.”
Suggesting that his future needs to go in a different direction, Sebastian Vettel is confident about his decision to pursue other endeavors outside the world of motorsport. The German champion was honored by many of the other drivers and teams who reacted to his retirement on social media and in the media sessions.
