Sebastian Vettel insists his “dream” of achieving championship success with Ferrari overrides any thought of retirement.
The German is preparing for his third attempt at dethroning Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes in 2019, with this year looking like his best chance yet based on the Scuderia’s pace in testing.
However, having fallen short twice, partly through errors of his own doing, Vettel might be forgiven for having some doubts as to whether it was worth continuing to try.
“Not really or no, the answer is no!” he told Germany’s Sport Bild. “Because throwing in the towel would mean dropping everything and giving it up.
“My goal, my dream is to become a Ferrari world champion. It also motivates me that Ferrari is the biggest brand in Formula 1.
“For me, it would be the ultimate if I could win the world title with Ferrari.”
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Now, the four-time champion with Red Bull faces a new challenge up against Charles Leclerc with the feeling that a generational shift is coming to the sport.
That being said, Vettel looks to the past to prove, at 31, he still has “plenty of time” on his side.
“I think it’s clear that I’m not in the spring of my career anymore,” he accepted.
“On the other hand, looking back, Michael [Schumacher] was even a bit older than me when he won his first title with Ferrari and Lewis is two years older than me.
“I still have no thoughts of retiring. On the contrary, I’m doing everything to fulfil my dream of the title with Ferrari.”
Having mentioned Schumacher, Vettel was finally asked if he would consider a comeback similar to the German legend with Mercedes, with his contract at Ferrari expiring after next season.
“No,” he replied. “My goal is to win with Ferrari.”
