Vettel was “close” to retiring from F1 before Aston Martin deal
Sebastian Vettel has admitted that he came “close” to retiring from Formula 1 altogether after losing his Fer🐬rari seat for the 2021 season.
Vettel was not offered fresh terms by Ferrari for next season, leaving him out of🌸 contrac🐠t and without a drive at the end of the year.
But on Thursday morn✤ing it was confirmed that the four-time world champion would be switching to Aston Martin for 2021 when it rebrands from the Racing Point team to replace Sergio Perez.
SEE ALSO: Can 'perfect' Vettel help make Aston Martin front-runners in F1?
Asked how close he had come to retiring from F1 during the drivers press conference ahead of this weekend’s Tuscan Grand Prix, which marꦰks Ferrari’s 1000th GP, Vettel replied: “Close.”
“I don’t know if there was a measure of how close you can get, but it was close in terms ❀of having a lot of thoughts and deciding ultimately I have to put myself first in that regard, what’s best for me.
“And wꦐhat I have decided now I believe that’s best for me and I’m lookin♈g forward to prove that.”
Vettel believes the Silverstone-based outfit is well-placed to c💧apitalise on 🍌F1’s upcoming regulation overhaul and already has strong foundations in place for short-term success.
“If you are fair right now with the judgement then obv🍸iously Mercedes has the edge over everybody,” he said.
“That’s not just valid for next year, they are probably in a ve🐲ry strong position for next year and the years after thatꦬ.
“It’s a very exciting challenge and I’m looking forward to it. I want to race at the front of the grid, not at the back of the grid, and the team is giving me that🐽 chance.
“I think the team is ready to🉐 grow and I’m happy to do those things together.
“There is still some exciting news in the short-term, if ꦐyou look at next year, the fir🃏st year with the budget cap, we will see how it works and pans out.
“I think the team already this year is a much better plac๊e than in the past. It’s a team that is growing, while other teams have to grow down in size, if you look at all the big te🐷ams.
“So there’s lots of things which make me quite confid𝐆ent and happy but only time can tell.
“It’s an exciting project and I’m sure we will fight for some🌊 good results in the near-future and in the futur🐷e after that.”
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for mahbx.com around the world. Often reporting on꧂ the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
