Prior to the 2020 F1 season getting underway, Sebastian Vettel was informed by Ferrari that he would not be retained by the Scuderia beyond the end of the season.
Join F1 TV To Watch Live Grand Prix & Access Hundreds Of Full Races
A matter of months later, amid plenty of speculation about the four-time World Champion’s future, it was announced that Vettel would be joining the Aston Martin F1 Team in 2021.
And now, Vettel has revealed that he didn’t try to “fight back” against Ferrari’s decision to drop him when he was given the news by team principal Mattia Binotto.
“I don’t need to [understand Ferrari’s decision] to be honest, and it doesn’t change anything,” Vettel said in an interview with RACER.com.
“I don’t look at it that way. I don’t work that way. It’s fine for me and I completely accept it, and when Mattia told me on the phone, it was clear.
“It wasn’t like I was trying to fight back or convince him otherwise – not at all.
“I think very much that if one door shuts another one will open, and obviously it took a bit of time and it raised a lot of questions about which door I want to open.
“It’s not that I had all of the teams of choice, but just in terms of what I want to do – more for the future, if I want to stay in Formula 1 or not.
“But obviously I’ve made my decision and opened the door,” he added, commenting on his decision to join Aston Martin.
Continuing, Vettel said he expects to spend at least a few more years in F1, but added that he doesn’t want to still be racing into his 40s, unlike former Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.
“I’m quite rational in these things, I look at it, and I don’t see myself in Formula 1 when I’m 40. So I will have a couple of years, but we’re not looking at 10 more years.
“So I think you need to be aware of that. And after what I’ve achieved in the sport, there was the time and the room – which I think is fair – to think of what you want to do next.
“Obviously we know the outcome, and we will see how I get on,” the German explained.
READ: Nikita Mazepin Claims ‘All Russian Drivers’ Are Hated By F1 Fans