Vettel: once I retire, I will not come back
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel does not intend to retire “in the foreseeable future” but when he does step away from Formula 1 he won’t return.
The German is a four-time world champion from his days with Red Bull, but since switching to Ferrari in 2015 he has been unable to win another title as Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton dominated.
This season Charles Leclerc has performed well in his first year at the Italian outfit and pressure has been on Vettel to compete with his 22-year-old team-mate.
There’s also been speculation that with Leclerc now expected to be Ferrari’s No.1 driver, Vettel could retire from F1 when his contract expires at the end of 2020.
However, in an interview with DPA the 32-year-old said: “I do not intend to retire in the foreseeable future. I enjoy racing a lot. But I think it’s normal that, 12 years later, I sometimes try to look ahead and think about what comes next.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to just stop something that was so life-defining without an idea of how to go on.
“For me it is clear – once I stop, then I stop and will not come back. You have to be happy and be able to say: that’s it.”
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Mercedes have a ‘point to prove’ in Abu Dhabi
After a disappointing weekend in Brazil world champions Mercedes will head to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix looking to finish the season on a high.
Valtteri Bottas did not complete the race in Brazil and Lewis Hamilton had to settle for seventh after receiving a five-second penalty.
The Silver Arrows have wrapped up a sixth successive championship double but team boss Toto Wolff feels they have a “point to prove” this weekend.
Speaking ahead of the season finale, Wolff said: “Brazil was a disappointing race for us; we did not have the fastest car on track and we lost a lot of points owing to our own mistakes.
“We analysed what went wrong, both in terms of our reliability and our decisions during the race, to make sure we don’t repeat them. It was a good learning experience for the entire team and something that will make us stronger in the long run.
“The underperformance in Brazil means we head to Abu Dhabi with a point to prove. Yas Marina has been a good circuit for us in the last years and we’ll push hard to continue in the same way.
“The race is one last opportunity for us to add another victory to the record of the W10 and it’s one more chance to put on a great show for the fans before the winter break.
“We’re looking forward to the fight because we know that in Formula 1, you’re only as good as your last result.”
#PoweredbyHonda
Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso have confirmed that their cars will continue to be powered by Honda engines in 2021.
Formula 1’s new regulations are introduced the season after next and the two teams have extended their deals with the Japanese firm.
Toro Rosso were the first of the Red Bull teams to switch to Honda in 2018. Then this year the senior outfit followed suit.
This season the Honda-powered Red Bull has seen Max Verstappen win three races and achieve five more podium finishes. This weekend in Abu Dhabi Verstappen will look to finish third in the drivers’ standings.
In 2019 Toro Rosso have also secured podium places with Daniil Kvyat finishing third in Germany and Pierre Gasly finishing second in Brazil.
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