In July 2022, Sebastian Vettel shocked fans by opening an Instagram account. For someone who was rather vocal about his abstinence from social media, the F1 community probably sensed that something was wrong. As was both feared and expected, soon after the account was created, the 4-time world champion posted his first video announcing his retirement.
A little over a year has passed since his announcement, but many fans fondly remember the positive energy the German brought to the grid. However, as is evident from his recent statements, it’s not just the sport that misses the legend, Vettel misses the tracks too.
Sebastian Vettel discloses what he misses about F1
In an interview with the Red Bulletin, Vettel discussed the perks of retired life, with all the extra time he has to spend with his family and the freedom he enjoys.
Speaking about his time at Formula 1, the driver recalled the various racing duels he was both witness to and part of during his career. Elaborating on this, he said, “I enjoyed the driving, the competition, right up to the end. When you only have one shot left in qualifying and it has to hit the mark. racing duels. These are the moments I miss the most.”
He even went on to hint at a possible comeback to racing in general, if not Formula 1. There is also the possibility of him returning not as a driver, but as a F1 official. This theory stems from the fact that F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali recently offered him a post in F1!
Sebastian Vettel career recap
The German made his F1 debut at the age of 19 with BMW Sauber, becoming the youngest Formula 1 driver at the time. From then, he moved on to Toro Rosso where he made history by winning the 2008 Monza GP. Despite being in a relatively slower car than the rest of the field, he dominated the race from pole position, finishing 12 seconds clear of everyone else. He was, until Max Verstappen came along, the youngest driver in F1 history!
He was then promoted to Red Bull racing in 2009. Under the leadership of Christian Horner, the German went on to take 4 back-to-back championships between 2010 and 2013. In 2015, he moved to Ferrari with hopes of clinching a title with them as well.
Unfortunately, the Mercedes era had already dawned by then. Nevertheless, Ferrari and Vettel took the fight to the Silver Arrows, even making a strong case for themselves in 2018 and 2019.
Come 2020, however, Ferrari had a poor season, and Vettel had an even worse one. Finishing P13, his stint at Ferrari had to come to a close after poor relations between the team and the driver. He went on to replace Sergio Perez at Aston Martin, where he managed to bag some podiums regardless of his car performance!
While his career may have had a stronger start than an end, he is still regarded as one of the all-time greats, with 53 wins to his name.
Would you like to see him return to racing or to F1 in an official capacity? Comment what you think down below!
