Sebastian Vettel feels strange in his retirement

• Sebastian Vettel feels a little strange being away from the paddock
• He is a four-time F1 champion
• He says watching the races far from the paddock is emotional

Five months into his retirement from Formula One, Sebastian Vettel feels a little strange being away from the paddock.

With four F1 World Championship titles, the German driver retired from the sport in 2022 after two dismal seasons with Aston Martin.

He says watching the races far from the paddock is emotional and he is glad that the team has improved tremendously.

The retired German driver says it felt strange in the first months of his retirement given that he spent over a decade racing.

“At the beginning, it was strange not to be there,” he told German publication Bild.

He now follows the competitions closely. The retired Aston Martin driver was happy to see his former team compete at the head of the pack.

Fernando Alonso earned four podium finishes in the first five races of the season and Vettel says this is a big achievement for the team.

The 35-year-old said the Silverstone-based team deserved to bask in its current triumph after all the effort that went into its recent endeavours.

Sebastian Vettel retirement 2022. Photo/Sky Sports

Vettell made his debut in F1 in 2007 as a replacement for BMW. The German driver’s status as an all-time great has now been cemented in history.

The 35-year-old has no regrets about his choice to retire, though. Still, there are a few elements of the summit of motorsport that Vettel is missing.

From 2010 to 2013, he raced for Red Bull and won four consecutive world titles. He earned the distinction of becoming the youngest champion in the sport with the first of these victories.

With 53 victories, Vettel is presently third among all Grand Prix winners, behind only Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.

WHY DID SEBASTIAN VETTEL RETIRE?

His decision to retire took Formula One by surprise. However, he said it was a move geared towards personal development. He wanted to spend more time with his family and reflect on his life. But, it was not an easy decision to make.

The former Aston Martin driver explained it all in an Instagram session in 2022 and being a father who has enough time for his family inspired him to take this path.

“The decision to retire has been a difficult one for me to take, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about it. At the end of the year I want to take some more time to reflect on what I will focus on next; it is very clear to me that, being a father, I want to spend more time with my family,” he explained.

In the latter parts of his career, Vettel became well-known for his activism despite his plan to retire at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November. This will be his 300th race overall.

Besides the unseen twist that is Sebastian Vettel retirement 2022, he will be remembered for his outspoken nature. Earlier in the year 2022, he was the first driver to proclaim that he would not race in Russia in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

More recently, he made history by becoming the first F1 driver to appear as the cover star of the LGBTQ journal Attitude Magazine.

Sebastian Vettel of Aston Martin. Photo/Sky Sports

WILL SEBASTIAN VETTEL RETURN TO F1?

Vettel is unsure of when he will return to the Formula One paddock. However, there are rumours that Audi is persuading the 35-year-old to once again lead its F1 works team as a driver.

Vettel hasn’t totally disqualified himself from participating in races. With his own collection of vehicles, the German driver will take part in this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The German driver, though, is content with his choice to retire and has no immediate plans to return to the sport. However, there’s always a chance that the 35-year-old will feel the urge to compete at the highest level of motorsport once more and perhaps even attempt to capture his fifth world title.

Following his retirement announcement, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton shared a heartfelt message with the four-time world champion. During their conversation, Hamilton brought up their close bond and thanked Vettel for leaving Formula One in a better situation than he found it.

Hamilton also shared a photo of him and Vettel sharing a warm embrace from back when the latter was still racing for Ferrari. The conversation continued with Hamilton saying it was an honour racing with him because he always brought to much hope and joy on the grid.