Amid Growing Retirement Whispers, Aston Martin Reveals Reality Behind Sebastian Vettel Rumors

Formula 1 has changed massively from what it was a decade ago. New teams, new rules, and even a new fuel than what the sport had 10 years ago. The driver who set the benchmark when F1 raced with 2.4-liter V8 engines prior to 2013 was Sebastian Vettel.

Today, we know Max Verstappen as the face of Red Bull. But back in the day, it was Vettel who dominated in the raging bull cars and broke many world records. Remarkably, he won 4 consecutive world titles from 2010 to 2013 and entered the sport’s history books.

In 2015, he jumped ship to Ferrari with an aim of achieving a world title in the iconic red racing suit. However, the German was unsuccessful in his 6 years with the Italian team. The two parted ways at the end of 2020 when he signed with the newly bought Lawrence Stroll team, Aston Martin, in 2021.

The Silverstone outfit has struggled to develop a strong package and, even on a good day, fights for the top of the midfield. He is in his final year of the contract and the struggle to find pace has demotivated the Heppenheim-born racing driver to continue in the green racing suit.

In an F1 podcast, Beyond The Grid, the freshly appointed team principal, Mike Krack, presented an update about Sebastian Vettel’s future in F1. The interviewer, Tom Clarkson, asked, “Do you think he still loves racing?”

Krack replied “Oh yes, he definitely does”

Clarkson further added, “And as a result of that, do you think he will continue with the team? How hopeful are you?”

Aston Martin’s boss commented, “I very hope that he stays with us. Um, yeah, the next weeks will tell. I think he needs to make up his mind, but you know when you saw him in Baku, you saw him in Canada, as soon as the car was a little bit back there, you saw the fire in his eyes. You could hear on the radio, or in the de-briefs, there it was again. You know, like, total focus.

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“When you know him, you hear already how he talks, he is on it. You could see also, afterwards, you know he was satisfied and you could really sense that he was enjoying what he was doing and I hope that he continues doing so.” 

Sebastian Vettel sheds light on his F1 future

We are approaching round 13 of the championship as we head to Budapest. Following that is the F1 summer break and the time for contract negotiations to start between the drivers and the constructors.

For a long time, the discussion has been about the future of the 35-year-old racing driver. He debuted in 2006 and is in his 17th year of racing. He has an extra year of experience compared to the seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton.

There even have been multiple reports linking the F1 superstar to the McLaren for replacing the struggling Aussie, Daniel Ricciardo. Nevertheless, Vettel shut down any speculation by saying, “I know some people there but I think it’s just rumors.”

He further shared his intentions about racing with Aston Martin by adding, “I am talking to the team. There is a clear intention to keep going. We’ll soon see where we stand.”

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It would be a shame to see Sebastian Vettel part ways with the sport without showing the pace that he still possesses. Moreover, the British racing team requires his expertise to rescue them out of the slump they find themselves in. How long do you think will we see the veteran continue racing at the pinnacle of motorsport?