Sebastian Vettel does not yet know whether he wants to continue as a Formula 1 driver in 2023. The four-time champion will decide in the coming weeks
Will Sebastian Vettel retire from Formula 1? It's a question that has been hanging over the World Championship throughout this year, especially since it became clear that Aston Martin has regressed compared to last year, when it didn't perform very well. At 35, in the final year of his contract and without a car capable of fighting for top positions, Vettel admitted that he will talk to his family in the near future to help conclude whether he wants to continue.
At least according to Aston Martin, the desire is to renew Vettel's contract. Weeks ago, Mike Krack, the team boss, stated that he would like to renew "for a long time." Therefore, the permanence depends on the driver. The championship standings are a good illustration of Vettel's reticence: Aston Martin has only 18 points and occupies second-to-last place among the constructors. Vettel has accounted for 15 of these points and is 14th among Drivers.
"The decision is still pending, but I will think about it in the next few weeks. Of course it depends on the direction in which the car develops and how much potential I see in the team," he told German TV station Sports1.
"I have said many times that what I want is to fight for points, but I also want to fight for wins. If it's not like that, the fun is lost," he followed.
"In the next few weeks, together with my family, I have to find out how realistic my goals are and how much energy I have inside of me to keep growing with the team," he advanced.
And the possibility of continuing in F1, but in another team? Vettel played down any possibility. "I'm not thinking about that at the moment. Aston Martin is my first point of contact and the project I want to move forward," he concluded.
The 2022 Formula 1 season continues in two weeks from July 22-24 at Paul Ricard in the French GP.