Aston Martin star Sebastian Vettel admitted he is afraid to face the uncertainty of what comes next in his life once he walks away from Formula 1.
The four-time world champion has been in the sport since the 2007 season, where he made his debut in a one-off race with BMW Sauber. Vettel impressively came home in eighth at the United States Grand Prix to become the then-youngest driver to score a point and was subsequently signed by Red Bull to their Toro Rosso team.
Vettel replaced Scott Speed in the Toro Rosso seat from the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix onwards, and has since driven for Red Bull - where he won all four of his world championships between 2010 and 2013 - Ferrari, and now Aston Martin. Along with his multiple titles, Vettel has collected the third-most Grands Prix wins with 53 Grands Prix along with 57 pole positions to cement his legacy as one of the f inest drivers in the sport’s history.
However, it is clear Vettel’s career is beginning to wind down. After he was unceremoniously dropped by Ferrari in favour of Carlos Sainz following the 2020 season, there were rumours Vettel would rather walk away and retire than drop down the grid.
Instead, Vettel inked a two-year deal with Aston Martin - but the venture has been far from smooth. The German’s future is once again in question, although he does not believe quitting motorsport is an easy prospect.
When asked if he was scared to retire at the launch of ‘IL PITSTOP’, the 34-year-old said: “Yes. I have done motor racing for my whole life and it gives you security, in terms of the schedule being made by other people.
“I don’t know what life after Formula 1 looks like and I don’t think any sportsperson knows what the next life looks like. You can have certain things lined up but you don’t know and that is the truth.
“I don’t expect to find something tomorrow which I am really good at because I have found something in my life that I am really good at and it is hard to find that again. How many times can you win the lottery?
“I enjoy driving the car but there are other things I don’t like. After so many years the usual stuff comes up that you don’t understand at the beginning, like the travel. It is very time consuming and I have kids at home and a family so it equals time away from them.
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“The future depends on this year and the races that I have coming up. I have not decided yet. The summer is the usual time when you start to talk so we will see.”
Aston Martin boss Mike Krack has made it clear he is keen to retain Vettel going forwards, but the German may walk away due to the uncompetitive machinery he is piloting. Vettel has just 13 points in 2022, although his P6 finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku proved to suggest the potential is there.
The 22-race F1 2022 campaign continues with the Canadian Grand Prix around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 19.
