Sebastian Vettel (36) wants to break away from Formula 1 after the end of his career – and takes Stefan Raab (56) as a role model. The premier class of motorsport was “my purpose in life for 16 years,” said the four-time world champion in an interview with Der Spiegel: “Now I secretly expect myself to be able to cope without Formula 1 – as if I were doing a withdrawal.”
Role models are people “who have managed to simply submerge and take the next step in life” – such as TV presenter and producer Stefan Raab. “He was so omnipresent in the German television landscape, announced that he was going to stop – and then it was practically silent from one day to the next,” said Vettel: “Now you have to ask him whether he’s happy with it or not. But first of all I think it’s admirable , when someone detaches himself from public observation to such an extent that one has the feeling: he has not become dependent on it. This danger is particularly great in sport.”
Basically, Vettel is already separating work and private life: “I have no pictures of myself on the wall at home, no trophies on display. I have a lot of other interests that I’m looking forward to. And at home with three children it will be anyway never boring.”
Vettel would “like to” completely rule out a comeback attempt in the future, “but I can’t do that. I have no idea how I’ll be ticking in a year or two. However, I wish that in two years I would still say: No Thanks, I don’t need to race anymore.”
Vettel won four world titles with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013, and with 53 Grand Prix victories, he is the most successful driver behind Lewis Hamilton (103) and Michael Schumacher (91). This season Vettel is only in midfield with Aston Martin, after the races in Brazil (November 13) and Abu Dhabi (November 20) he ends his career.
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