Sebastian Vettel may stick around in F1 despite planning to retire at the end of the season. The four-time world champion announced before the Hungarian GP he will end his illustrious career once the ongoing season comes to a close.
As well as his elite driving, the German is also known for his leadership qualities and speaking up on important social issues during his F1 tenure. Fans have called for him to be given a role in the sport away from the track and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has hinted this may become a reality. He told Bild : "Among other things, we talked about his decision and the future.
“Sebastian will always be associated with Formula 1. And of course, we want that connection to remain close in the future. If he is interested in becoming part of our system and the approaches fit together, I would of course welcome him here. But we already know that, after the season, he wants to sort himself out and enjoy time with his family."
The report suggests the role will likely revolve the areas of environmentalism, diversity and social issues. Vettel did hint himself in his post retirement interviews that he could stay close to the sport.
The 35-year-old told Sky F1 : "I have lots of interests. Some are very close to racing, and maybe they will take up more room in the future, and some have nothing to do with racing. One thing is what we do and the other thing is who we really are. And as much as people know me and you know me and we know each other, there are elements I don't know about you and you don't know about me.
"So the answer is it's a little bit unknown. As even though you have these plans and so on, there's no guarantee that they will all work and make me happy." The Aston Martin driver received an outpouring of love after announcing his retirement, including former rival and friend Lewis Hamilton. The Brit has since said Vettel was one of few people that didn’t make him feel lonely in F1.
Asked if he would remember Vettel more as a person than as a driver, Hamilton, quoted by Motorsport-Total.com via Planet F1, said: “Yes, one hundred per cent. I kind of knew it was coming, because there were hints, but the implementation is another thing.
“It saddens me, of course, first of all that he’s quitting. When I talk about the journey I’ve had in this sport, which I’ve often found to be relatively lonely, I would say he’s one of the few people who made sure I didn’t feel lonely. He stood by me through a lot of things. I think he is one of the greatest people we have seen in this sport. And we need more like him.”
