Sebastian Vettel Believes “No One Will Remember Me” as He Reflects on Legendary Career

What does it take for people to remember you years after you’ve left? Do you have to be good or bad to be remembered? Does one have to be successful, or can an also-ran be missed? These are questions Sebastian Vettel possibly never thought of during his Championship-winning years, but now he does.

Sebastian Vettel came into F1 with a big comparison – he was called “Baby Schumi”. The comparison to Michael Schumacher was most loudly made when Vettel won the 2008 Italian GP.

Sebastian didn’t fall short of those expectations that he brought with him. On his way to 4 consecutive world titles, the German broke many records. The most famous of these is “most wins in a season” with 13 wins in 2013.

Vettel had successful stints with Red Bull and Ferrari and then moved to Aston Martin in 2021. Completing his second season with the team, he announced his retirement from F1 after the 2022 season in a moving announcement video.

In an interview, looking back on his career, he said, “I once heard someone say, ‘You will only be remembered until the last person who remembers you dies’. There will probably come a point when no one will remember me. Nothing lasts forever.”

Read More: “I Am an Exception”: Sebastian Vettel Reveals What Sets Him Apart From the Rest of the Grid in the Rich Man’s Sport

“People can decide if they want to remember me, but I wouldn’t be offended if they don’t. It’s not important to me how I’m remembered. I always try to succeed – sometimes I don’t succeed – but, above all else, I always try to treat people with respect and be nice. If that’s what people remember about me then that will make me happy,” said Vettel.

Sebastian’s interview is as introspective as his retirement video was. The honesty and purity of emotions help us understand what happens behind the scenes of a career beyond superlatives.

Reflections of Sebastian Vettel on a career that put him among the greatest

In his candid interview with the Aston Martin team, Sebastian answers several questions that peer into his trophy-laden career at the top of motorsports.

When asked what he learned from F1, to which he said, “Being a Formula One driver is an accelerated way of living. I think that’s true for most professional sportspeople. You have everything that happens in normal life, but it’s more compressed in terms of time.”

I had to mature earlier than my friends at school because I was taking my racing career very seriously and dealing with a lot of adults. I was still doing all the stupid and silly things teenagers do with their friends but, when you’re 19 years old, your world is different when you’re also spending a lot of time with people who are in their thirties, forties and fifties.”

Watch This Story: Vettel and Mick’s Team Got Knocked Out

The German had a storied career. Undoubtedly one of the greatest to grace the sport, he has been an inspiration to all those who watched his brilliance. The urban legend goes – “Everyone is a Sebastian Vettel fan, even if they say they aren’t.” What’s your favorite Seb moment?