Sebastian Vettel has said he will decide whether he wants to remain in F1 for 2023 this summer but has hinted he could retire as there are many things he doesn’t like about the sport. The Aston Martin driver claimed his future will depend on how he feels over the next races but didn’t deny he may walk away from F1.
He said being an F1 driver was ‘very time consuming’ and admitted he missed time with his family when he was away. Although speaking at an ‘Il PITSTOP’ press event, the four-time champion admitted he was scared about the thought of retiring.
He said: “I don’t know what life after Formula One 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.” Vettel’s current two-year deal with Aston Martin is set to expire at the end of the 2022 season.
The German has faced calls from many compatriots to call it a day on his F1 career after a difficult start to the season. Sky presenter Timo Glock said Vettel will be questioning ‘whether he still wants’ to compete in F1 and if he can ‘motivate himself’ going forwards.
Ralf Schumacher also weighed in, claiming he thought it was unlikely Vettel would drive for Aston Martin at the end of the season. The former Williams man said he believed Vettel would ‘retire at the end of the year’ to focus on campaigning for environmental issues.
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Team principal Mike Krack has previously claimed the team ‘want to continue with Sebastian’ suggesting the German will have an option of an extension. In Monaco, Krack claimed Vettel still wanted to drive for the team in a bid to squash the speculation.
He said: “If you see him in a debrief or on the phone, the way he gets involved – nobody drives like that who doesn’t want to drive. Nobody acts like that who doesn’t want to drive. It was a top performance from the first lap onwards.”
Rumors suggest Haas’ Mick Shcunacher could replace Vettel at Aston Martin if he decides to end his career.
