Sebastian Vettel to retire at the end of the season: Marc Surer
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Sebastian Vettel
Former F1 driver Marc Surer feels that Sebastian Vettel will complete his contract at Aston Martin and then retire from the sport, as reported by GPBlog.
In an interview with Formel1.de, former Brabham F1 driver Marc Surer stated that he thinks Sebastian Vettel will retire from the sport at the end of the season. Vettel joined Aston Martin at the beginning of the 2021 season, replacing Sergio Perez. Marc Surer thinks that there is a good chance that Vettel will not renew his contract at the Silverstone-based team. He also believes that the German driver will not be offered a new deal at any other F1 team. Surer said: “He’s gone from Ferrari, he had the chance at Aston Martin of all things, so it’s not working now either.”
Sebastian Vettel has had a difficult start to the season, having missed the first two races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to COVID-19, where he was replaced by Aston Martin reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg. He suffered a retirement in Australia but achieved 8th position (and 4 points) at Imola.
This was followed up by another disappointing weekend at Miami, where he collided with compatriot and protégé Mick Schumacher and finished 17th. As a four-time world champion, matched by Alain Prost, and surpassed only by Juan Manuel Fangio (5), Lewis Hamilton, and fellow German Michael Schumacher (both with 7), Surer feels that Vettel must find it hard to motivate himself. He said: “It’s more a question of motivation, if you know I’m fighting for tenth place, is that really the motivation for a four-time world champion to give everything? I don’t know.”
However, Surer feels that Vettel has not completely thrown in the towel yet, and called his attitude ‘great’, for not being discouraged by his situation at Aston Martin.
“The fact that he’s coming back [after a COVID-19 bout at the start of the season] and still driving speaks for him because he’s helping the team. He’s trying to move the team forward and there are already a few signs that things are improving. So he does his job.”
Surer further added that: “He could have thrown in the towel and no one would have blamed him, except maybe the team.”
Also Read: Mike Krack blames Sebastian Vettel’s lost points on “overzealous Mick Schumacher”
Vettel on the German Grand Prix and Climate Change
Recently, Vettel has also stated that it is possible that he will never have the opportunity to race in front of his home crowd in Germany again. Vettel has won the German Grand Prix once at the Nürburgring Circuit with Red Bull in 2013. He famously crashed out while in the lead in 2018 at Hockenheim, during slippery conditions. Vettel told reporters that “I don’t know if Germany will make it in time for me.”
Vettel also recently appeared on BBC Question Time, where he stated that climate change and the environmental impact of the sport make him question his job as an F1 driver. The German is famously outspoken in his commentary on a wide range of issues, ranging from the environment to human rights and persecution against the LGBTQ+ community, and wore a t-shirt saying before the Miami Grand Prix saying:
“Miami 2060
First Grand Prix underwater
Act Now or Swim Later”
Of course, Vettel said that Formula 1, which is aiming to achieve a net-zero carbon footprint by 2030, also played an important social role as entertainment. Formula 1 will use 100% sustainable fuels from 2026. Aside from climate change, Vettel also offered his opinions on other wide range of issues while on the show, such as Brexit and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Also Read: “Climate change makes me question racing in F1”: Sebastian Vettel skeptical about future in F1
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