Sebastian Vettel will go down in history as one of the most successful racing drivers of all time, having won four world championships in a row during his time with Red Bull.
The German retired from Formula 1 at the end of last season at the age of 35, with the aim of exploring other avenues in life to satisfy his other desires and interests.
Currently, Vettel is competing in the Race of Champions, his first competitive race since he bid farewell to F1 at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Although he was very successful in Formula 1, it was not easy for the German to achieve his dream of racing at the pinnacle of motorsport, as is the same with the majority of drivers in F1.
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Vettel’s father Norbert has spoken about his son’s journey to Formula 1, explaining that great sacrifices had to be made to get the legendary German up the motorsport ladder.
“The whole family had to participate,” he told Motorsport-Total.
“We lived for Seb’s career for ten years and gave up vacations.
“If we only arrived late on Friday because Seb was still at school, some father would ask me: ‘Does your son actually want to be a professor or a racing driver?’ Today all envious people know the answer!”
Norbert Vettel also spoke about the times where the F1 dream looked to be slipping away from the young Sebastian Vettel but explained that they made even more sacrificed to keep going.
“I was fed up again, but we didn’t want to give up. For years we drove through Europe in a camper van or car. Seb slept in the trunk a few times,” he explained.
“I once installed an extra tank in the VW bus so that we could drive from German to Italy without stopping for petrol in expensive Switzerland.
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“Seb is scary. He learns as fast as a computer programming itself. That’s how he did the theory tests for trucks, private cars and motorcycles in one day!”
It is this willingness and ability to learn that has made people suggest that Vettel would be well suited to a management role in Formula 1 in the future.
While the German has claimed that he does not plan to return to Formula 1, Red Bull have told Vettel that the door is always open for him to return to the team in some capacity, should he want to in the future.