Former Scuderia Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel was interviewed by French newspaper L’Équipe ahead of his last Formula 1 race, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Here is part of Seb’s interview:
And what will you miss the most?
Seb (sighs): “That I don’t know yet. I would say the adrenaline, the unique sensation of driving a F1 car, the competition. Ah yes, I know. That feeling on Sunday morning when I wake up and there’s something special in the pit of my stomach because it’s race day and you know it’s going to be a different day than the others. But I love life and I know it always has surprises. I’m also looking forward to seeing what it will be like after Formula 1.”
You told us that you are happy with your career. What are you most proud of?
Seb: “First of all, I have no regrets. Or maybe Hockenheim. When I think about it, I think I could have braked a bit earlier. But I came to Formula 1 to become a champion and I was very young. After that, everything else was just a bonus. To come back to your question, I would say that I am proud to have treated the people I worked with the way I would have liked to be treated. And that I made a lot of friends.”
Will you have any regrets? Especially with what happened at Ferrari?
Seb: “Not at all. I loved those years. I enjoyed this life in Italy where I made a lot of friends. Racing for Ferrari is really something special. On the street, people consider you as one of them.”
The crash at Hockenheim in 2018 when you were leading the race and leading the championship?
Seb (interrupts): “That’s one reason. But a failure is not just one mistake. It’s not the worst mistake I’ve made in my career. It hurt me a lot because it happened in Germany in front of my home crowd on a track I love and it cost me a lot. But Mercedes was too strong in development. At Ferrari, we were too far away from them.”
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Ferrari are constantly criticized for their strategic choices etc.
Seb: “And that’s unfair. It can happen to anyone. We pay attention to it because an entire country is behind Ferrari and it does not happen anywhere else. So maybe too much attention generates too much pressure.”
Even today, we see Ferrari suffer..
Seb: “I see where you are coming. Yes, I have ideas about what could be changed in this team but I’ll keep them to myself. What you see from the outside is only an interpretation of what is really going on. You don’t have the whole picture.”
Rumour has it that Fernando Alonso helped to push you out of Aston Martin?
Seb: “That’s ridiculous. It’s my decision and we discussed it with Lawrence [Stroll]. Nobody influenced me!”
Staying in Formula 1?
Seb: “I could say yes but I’ll be honest, I don’t know. Everyone tells me that after three months I would want to come back. And maybe in two years I’ll be back as a driver. Or in a team. I’ll just enjoy my family and my life with them. We’ll see.”
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