Sebastian Vettel broke Formula 1 fans’ hearts earlier in the season, when the German announced that he will be retiring from the sport and the end of the 2022 season to focus on other interests, calling time on his illustrious career.
The Aston Martin driver won four consecutive world championships with Red Bull before moving to Ferrari, being described as unbeatable during his time with the energy drink giants.
Vettel has 53 wins and 122 podiums to date and will certainly go down as one of the all time greats, however he has said that he feels ready to disconnect completely from F1 and live a different lifestyle.
“I have no pictures of myself on the wall at home, no trophies on display,” he told reporters.
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“I have a lot of other interests that I’m looking forward to.
“And being at home with three children will never be boring,” he joked.
In the Instagram video in which Vettel announced his retirement, the German said that he was looking forward to pursing other interests in his life and spending time with his family, something that has been difficult over the past 16 years, with the F1 calendar taking drivers all around the world every other week.
Vettel was asked following the Japanese Grand Prix if he would consider staying in the sport by taking up a reserve driver role, to which he said no, suggesting that the role would still see him have to travel to every race weekend, just to do nothing, meaning he still can not focus his time elsewhere.
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The 35-year-old has been begged to reconsider his retirement following back to back driver of the day awards in recent races, and while he has rejected any suggestion of continuing in 2023, he has admitted that he does not know how he’ll be feeling in a couple of years time.
“I have no idea how I’ll be feeling in a year or two. But I do wish that in two years I will still be saying ‘No thanks, I don’t need that anymore’,” he said when asked if he would ever return.
Fans will have the chance to feature on Vettel’s final ever F1 helmet in Abu Dhabi, with the German legend auctioning off spots on the helmet for photographs, with all proceeds going to charity.