A few weeks ago Sebastian Vettel turned 35, so it’s no big surprise that he will soon stop. “However, last week in France he had said that he absolutely wanted to continue driving for Aston Martin.”
“On the other hand, it was clear in the last 2 years that he had gradually lost fire,” says F1 commentator Kris Wauters. “That was not immediately noticeable in the races, but it all felt a bit less.”
“It is not strange that after 15 years of F1, you are gradually getting tired of it, certainly of everything that comes with it. You are not at home much and Vettel is a family man, with his wife and 3 children. That will gradually be under his skin crawled.”
Kris Wauters does not think that Vettel’s career has gone out like a candle. “At Aston Martin he ended up in a car with which it was impossible for him to drive for the victory. In Baku he still achieves a magnificent podium.”
“In addition, he has helped the car evolve into one of the better mid-range engines and has paved the way for further growth in the following seasons.”
However, according to Wauters, he will be missed. “He was one of the key personalities of F1. Super sympathetic and with a strong opinion, whether it was about equality in society or the environment.”
Wauters does not want to give him a place in the eternal ranking. “You can’t compare eras. But with 4 world titles and 53 victories, he is one of the greatest of all time.”
Will he stay in the sport? “His father is a simple furniture maker, so it wouldn’t surprise me if his son soon disappears from the scene and also seeks peace. He himself says that he doesn’t know at all.”
Kris Wauters closes with 2 anecdotes about Sebastian Vettel, a sporty and a personal one:
- “I will never forget his very first win, in 2008 at Monza. He drove for Toro Rosso, which is definitely not a top car. Normally you can only finish 6th or 7th. But thanks to a smart strategy he took pole. One day later everyone thought he would have to take off that lead immediately, but in the pouring rain he drove a clear race and immediately put himself on the map as a future superstar.”
- “But my absolute favorite moment dates from a year earlier. In the Edmond Machtens Stadium in Brussels, the F1 drivers would play a football match on the eve of the GP of Spa. I have been godfather of Make-a-Wish for about 15 years and had arranged a meeting with Michael Schumacher for a little boy for the occasion.”
“Only, there had been an untold number of people for that match. To avoid the crowds afterwards, Schumacher had left the field earlier. We were waiting in the corridor with that boy. Schumacher remembered the appointment, shook his hand from the boy in the wheelchair, had his picture taken and then was gone.”
“I noticed that that boy was left behind a bit orphaned, because that meeting only lasted 30 seconds. So I asked some other drivers and Vettel immediately said: of course! He had a chat with that boy for 5 to 10 minutes and was super friendly “Afterwards he also handed over his football jersey. Vettel was not yet a star in F1, but you could already see his good heart. Since that day I have been a fan.”
