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Life after F1 is a challenge that every driver faces at one time or another. Some leave knowing already that they will pass aside in another category of races. Others easily slip into the role of television pundit, or perhaps direct their efforts towards mentoring a son who shows signs of being a future world champion.
The general rule is that most drivers have been so immersed in motorsport all their lives and spent so much time on the tracks that they find it hard to get very far from the world they know.
There are, however, a few exceptions. Carlos Reutemann turned to politics in his native Argentina, while Jody Scheckter avoided the race for years, building a business empire in the US before moving into farming in the UK and following the more family of helping her sons up the sports ladder engine.
More: What did the F1 drivers do after the race?
It’s obvious that Vettel won’t become a couch potato or hang around circuits that seem lost. He’s a workaholic, unable to sit still for long, and his varied interests in environmental and social issues will open all sorts of doors for him away from racing.
If he chooses to stay connected to the sport, there will be no shortage of offers from teams and other organizations.
We can assume he probably won’t be too keen on taking on a purely ambassadorial role for a manufacturer or sponsor.
However, he would be a very good manager or consultant for a Porsche or an Audi, if he had the chance to make a real contribution, although he doesn’t want to spend 24 weekends racing.
Some of his colleagues have made it clear they would like him to stay connected to the GPDA, although in Alex Wurz the organization already has a former pilot on board.
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren, hugs Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Speaking in Hungary on Thursday just hours after his announcement, Vettel said he currently has no firm plans.
“The way I work is that I always look forward to what’s next,” he explained.
“I said earlier today that the best race is yet to come, which obviously could be said as bullshit. If I stop, what race is going to be if you don’t race anymore?
“But I think I’m referring to it in a bigger picture, like in life. And I think for every sportsman and every woman, probably the biggest challenge lies ahead of us once we decide to do something else. C So that’s what I’m up against.”
Despite all these outside interests and his desire to spend time with his family, Vettel is self-aware enough to recognize that it will not be easy to fill the void that F1 leaves in the life of every retired driver. .
“To be honest, I’m also scared of what’s to come, because it could be a hole. I don’t know how deep it is and if I’m going to get out of it.
“But I think I have a lot of support, a lot of people who have helped me along the way so far, and will continue to help me and give me direction, advice.
“And I hope that I will make the right decisions also in the future to progress and become a better version of myself in 10 years.”
Deep down Vettel is still a racer, like everyone else on the grid. He does not hide what he will miss the most.
“Well, the buzz of driving the car and the adrenaline you get from battling on the track. Of course, I thought about that too, that I’ll say no to that, and there’s probably not really of substitute.
Sebastien Vettel, Aston Martin
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“I also looked at others, and how they handled it, and maybe tried to find something else that gives them the adrenaline rush or the buzz. As far as I know, without knowing it, because I’m here now today and I have 10 more races to go, next year will be different.
“But it’s something you have to be prepared for – and I feel like I’m ready as much as I can be today – to say it’s gone, it won’t be there.
“If I want to race something, my kids want to race me every day in all kinds of things. Some of them I like more, some less! If I want to race something, I’m sure I can think of something. But yeah, I think it would be wrong to walk away knowing that you still want to run, sort of.
At only 35 years old, Vettel has not completely ruled out racing in other categories. Although he has no immediate plans to try anything else, many others have taken a year or two off and then returned to WECs or touring cars, with a less strenuous travel schedule.
“It will be my last race in F1,” he said when asked what might happen after Abu Dhabi. “I don’t know. Obviously, in terms of age, it’s not a problem to do something else and do more in F1. It’s not the limit I have.
“I think physically I’m in great shape, I have no problem driving these cars. So there’s nothing that would hold me back on that front. I can’t say yes, and I can’t say no, because obviously the decision I’m making now is that this chapter ends.
“I’m not saying this chapter is over because another is opening up right away, and I’m racing other cars next year. That’s not the decision I’m making.
“It really is a big change, and how I’m going to cope, as I’ve said before, I don’t know. Time will tell, I think that’s probably the fairest answer. that I can give at this time.”
Sebastien Vettel, Aston Martin
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
It’s clear that one way or another Vettel will continue his environmental campaigns, although he recognizes he would have a bigger voice if he remained an active driver. However, he is ready to face this lower profile.
“I think that would be the wrong motivation to keep doing what I’ve always done, to be competitive and to win, just to express your opinion, or your opinion on certain topics. I think that would be the wrong motivation .
“Obviously I thought about that too. So maybe I’ll lose voice and range. But for me voice and range has never been front and center, it’s always kind of been the message, because that’s what I really believe in.
“I see that we have the greatest challenge, or that we are facing the greatest challenge that humanity has ever faced. And if we don’t win this race, the world will continue to turn, but without us.
“I’m into it, and I think once you realize that, maybe it’s also a bit of a habit or a bit of the character that you develop, when you know you’re always trying to find next thing, next thing, trying to be curious about what could make you faster, what could give you an edge.
“It’s the same kind of feature that made me seek more answers, ask more questions, and that leads me to the next thing.
“And realizing how big the challenge is, there’s a great temptation to go into a negative spiral, and to panic and get very anxious about the future.
Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin AMR22, returned to the garage
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“But at the same time, I read a lot, I hear a lot and I meet a lot of people who are moving the world in a great direction and making the world a better place and really fighting, committing and even sacrificing their lives, for it. make a better place in the future.
“So, yeah, there’s a lot to do. But I think my beliefs have always been front and center, not a program or a campaign.”
Vettel has made it clear that family and his other interests will come first after November, but he acknowledges the future is an open book and he doesn’t know how the story will unfold.
“The answer if you say these things satisfy you enough? I don’t know, time will tell. Always when you decide to head in a different direction, you don’t really know what awaits you behind the corner.
“But I’m very curious to know, and more curious about what’s next, than clinging to what’s now.”
Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin signing autographs for fans
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
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