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Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement in late July this year, but revealed that he had thought of growing his life off track a few seasons earlier; even before anyone would have thought about it. Vettel stated that in his final year at Ferrari in 2020, when the team was having an extremely difficult time, he questioned himself about continuing in the sport.
Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, ahead of the 2022 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he said:
"Well, I think, looking back, obviously 2020 wasn't a good year for me. 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?"
Sebastian Vettel will be driving as an F1 driver for the last time on Sunday, during the final race of the season. His time with Aston Martin hasn't been the best of his career, given the power of the machinery he has been driving. 2020, however, was a difficult time too, even with Ferrari. The team suffered an immense loss of speed and could only finish 6th in the constructors' championship. Vettel revealed that this was when he thought about having a life outside of the sport.
The German said:
"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."
Sebastian Vettel developed a different perspective during his time at Aston Martin
Owing to Aston Martin's competitiveness, or lack thereof, it was extremely difficult for Sebastian Vettel to start the race ahead enough. He was one in the midfield with other drivers and sometimes also at the back of the grid. He revealed that starting so far back on the grid is different from being in the top 5. The German claimed it was more hectic and difficult since one had to pass all the battling cars, saying:
"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."
Sebastian Vettel also spoke about the struggle a midfield team has to go through to remain competitive enough with other cars. He believes that these experiences taught him a lot about the sport and a few things about life, which formed one of the reasons for his decision to hang his helmet after this season.
As Vettel's final race approaches this Sunday, there has been a different energy all around the paddock and on social media. He is one of the faces that will no longer be seen on the grid in the upcoming season. Fans have hinted about him making a return later into the sport, however, there remains huge speculation since he wasn't so apparent while answering any related questions.
