Sebastian Vettel vows not to ‘back off until the end’

Sebastian Vettel will not be relaxing between now and the end of the season as he prepares to retire.

Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel has vowed to keep himself grounded ahead of the final nine races of the 2022 season.

The German announced his retirement from Formula 1 at the start of the season, citing a desire to continue to fight for causes he believes in.

Those causes no longer run parallel with the pinnacle of motorsport, so he considers it unfair to use Aston Martin solely as a platform to spread positive messages.

Vettel, in the last couple of years, has spent a lot of time campaigning for causes such as equality, social justice and the environment, and it has appeared as though racing in the midfield has given the four-time champion a different perspective on life.

READ: Valtteri Bottas has a request for Sebastian Vettel after his F1 retirement

Very much one of the leaders of the pack, the 35-year-old stands up and makes sure his voice is heard over issues in and around F1, and this has made him a very popular figure.

Tributes have poured in for him as a result, and he will leave F1 to spend more time with his family and fight the good fights, as he has been doing recently.

This does not mean, however, that he has gone on vacation early – he is planning to push hard for the rest of the year, as he has done throughout his time in F1.

“I will not back off until the end, I know how this job needs to be done, and that’s how I would like to do it to the end,” Vettel told RacingNews365.com. 

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“Seeing the people around the grandstands is nice because, I’d probably not have that type of feeling again, but then again, I’ve been lucky to have had it for so many years. 

“So everything comes to an end. My story will at the end of the year and another story will begin.”

Vettel’s last race win came at the 21019 Singapore Grand Prix, and he has managed two podiums since then – in Turkey in 2020 and in Azerbaijan last year.

Now, he and Lance Stroll are finding it difficult to drag the AMR22 into the top 10 in qualifying, and are often finding themselves battling just to get the last point.

READ: Lando Norris doesn’t want to fill Sebastian Vettel’s boots, says he has become less ruthless

Suffice to say this is not something Vettel became used to at Red Bull and Ferrari, and it has been a burden on his shoulders.

Therefore, he is looking forward to taking some time off for the summer, and hopes that the one-lap pace of the British side’s car improves in Belgium.

“[The] last two years, I find it very hard [to scrap] for points,” added Vettel 

“I think everybody is [excited for the summer break], and then I think we will try to have a better Saturday.

“That’s our weakness and Sunday’s we can be very strong, so there seems to be some homework to do.”

Vettel has been in the points four times this season, while Stroll has managed three top 10 appearances.

Aston Martin sit ninth in the Constructors’ Standings at the moment, ahead only of Williams, but that does not tell the entire story of what has been a hugely competitive midfield fight this year.