Former Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel confirmed that he is considering the possibility of returning to education for a few years, with te goal of one day maybe returning in Formula 1 in a management role, but for now focus is no longer the racing world.
The former Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin driver, who won four F1 World Championships, decided to end his Formula 1 career after the 2022 campaign, calling time on an impressive motorsport career which that stems back almost three decades.
Sebastian Vettel is now able to spend more time with his wife and three children at home, as the German driver confirmed his intention to step back from the competitive and tiresome Formula 1 paddock, while at the same time not ruling out the idea of returning to the sport in a management role, after figuring out what the next steps will be for him. When asked about what his plans are for this year, given the fact that he currently has a lot of free time and an empty diary for the first time after many years, the ex-Ferrari man admitted that he doesn’t yet know and also wonders if he will be any good at any area other than racing.
“I don’t expect to be, let’s put it this way,” Sebastian Vettel said in on interview for the Beyond the Grid podcast, when he asked if he could be as good at his next job as he was at being a racing driver – “You never know. But I think it would be a miracle if I was because, obviously, I’ve done this my entire life. I haven’t had much time to do much else. I have no degree. So I cannot expect myself and I think it would be the wrong approach to say that, ‘yeah, I’m a champion. I’m going to be a champion at everything else that I touch.’ I think that’s not a realistic approach for me, at least not and yeah, I think, whatever it is, then I’m starting from scratch. But I think the ambition is natural. You have it as a competitor and it can show in other things. But I don’t expect to make the news if you see what I mean.” – the German driver explained.
When asked about the idea of returning to education and getting a degree in order to be able to apply for a role within a Formula 1 team in the future, Sebastian Vettel confirmed that this thought had crossed his mind: “Yeah, that’s also an option definitely. I think there’s so much to learn. So there are plenty of things that, like I say, I’m interested in and I would love to give room. At the minute, I’m just trying to keep an empty schedule because I don’t want to commit to anything. I want to let that side of me come out and I’m curious to learn about myself… I might feel horrible! I might go through a phase where [not racing] is really really difficult. But, like I said, it’s coming at some point anyway, sooner or later, and it feels like the right time.”
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“I have three kids at home, I really enjoy that and I want to see them grow as well because, obviously, this job comes with big commitment and the way I do the job is full on so it would feel wrong to do it some sort of half way, just to be part of it, or just to be a Formula 1 driver. I love winning, I love the competition, and to win, you need to do everything. That’s my conviction. If you’re not prepared to do everything anymore, then it’s time to make room for others.” – he added.
Despite the fact that Sebastian Vettel has admitted that is is uncertain about what the future holds for him, the former Ferrari driver pointed out that his Formula 1 career has never been a factor that defined him as a person – a similar view to that of his former Maranello teammate Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 World Champion and one of Sebastian Vettel’s close friends from his time with Ferrari.
“It’s unknown, that’s how I feel,” the German replied, when questioned about whether he felt scared after ending his Formula 1 career:
“But, to be honest, I think it is a fantastic world and a world that can suck you in and you can stay in forever sort of thing. Obviously, I can’t be driving forever but, to be honest, maybe I’ve always been a little bit different to the degree that I didn’t depend on it. I didn’t identify, let’s say, outside the races as somebody who is in Formula 1. I mean, I am a racing driver yes. But, when I got home, I really enjoyed the bits of life that everybody is able to enjoy. There’s always been more to life and always more to see than just the racing world which, obviously, has consumed me and I’ve been obsessed with it for most of my life. I’m sad to not have the adrenaline rush anymore, sad to not have the competition, that feeling to push myself – the car, the elements to the limit. But I’m looking forward to what’s next. So I can’t give you an answer exactly on what’s next. I have plenty of ideas, things that I would like to try. I’m also very curious to get to know myself in this regard and give that part of me more room.” – Former Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel concluded.
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