Sebastian Vettel hopes to 'enjoy the racing that I have left'
Sebastian Vettel hopes to enjoy the last few races of his F1 career, ahead of the Mexican GP this weekend.
The German has had an impressive last few weekends, picking up points in Singapore, Japan, and Austin. In the drivers' press conference, Vettel said that he hopes to continue the team's momentum. The Aston Martin driver said:
"Well, I hope we can carry the momentum. Obviously the last races have been good for us in terms of overall pace. We were able to be a little stronger and closer to the points positions."
He continued:
"Austin, in particular, we’ve been very competitive, been more competitive than Alpine and McLaren for the first time this year, which was a very good and positive surprise, and we hope to keep that up, but we have to be realistic. This is a different track, so we will see how we get on, but just looking forward to hopefully sense a good car underneath me and enjoy the racing that I have left."
seb giving me no peace of mind https://t.co/vP4Cmq32BN
When asked by David Croft of Sky Sports whether he would have a rethink on retirement, Vettel said that he took the decision to retire after a lot of deliberation. While he loves the up and down nature of the sport, he's not contemplating extending his F1 stay.
Vettel said:
"No. It's funny you say that? I think it's maybe … I don't know if it's a thing in Formula 1 or is it a general thing in our lives nowadays that we… to answer your question: no. I thought about this decision long and hard and from a lot of angles. But yeah, I don't know if… I find it's a bit sad that we tend to swing so much now."
He continued:
"I see the benefits of having emotions running high and low rather than just being flat, but I think the judging in general, it's a bit too quick. We create a hype, and too quickly, we create like a massive – I don't want to say disappointment and not because of my situation now, the last races versus maybe the mid part of the season – so it's more of a general thing."
Dietrich Mateschitz was a pioneer and legend not only of @redbullracing, but of our sport.
As a tribute and mark of respect, Sebastian Vettel will return to one of his original, iconic helmet designs at this weekend's #MexicoGP.
From everybody at @AstonMartinF1, Danke Didi. #F1 https://t.co/XMu99Hf6A7
Vettel (36) is 11th in the standings, with three races to go.
Last two races a great reminder why I love this sport - Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel said that the last few races where he has put together strong results is a reminder of why he loves the sport so much. He said:
"Yeah, I obviously enjoyed the last two races, last couple of races more than I did maybe some in the mid-part of the season, but they have no impact on the decision (to retire). And if anything it’s a great reminder of why I love this sport so much, why I love racing so much."
He continued:
"I had great races, and I really enjoyed them, but I also had races that I didn't enjoy so much, and I was wishing after five laps to see the chequered flag, and it didn't come out. So you still have to find the motivation in that, and hang in there. But yeah, I wish that sometimes it just wouldn't swing as high and as low."
Vettel will look for another strong weekend in Mexico after finishing eighth in Austin, sixth in Japan and eighth in Singapore. He also finished sixth in Azerbaijan, which remains his best finish this season.