Sebastian Vettel says he only regrets how he left Red Bull at the end of 2014, despite how his five years at Ferrari have played out.
Having won four straight world titles between 2010-2013, the start of the hybrid era brought the German’s period of success to an end and inserted Mercedes as the dominant force, a position they have held ever since.
It was during that season, which saw him beaten by new teammate Daniel Ricciardo, that Vettel opted to leave and make his dream move to Ferrari for 2015.
Fast forward to now, however, and the 33-year-old will exit Maranello without the fifth F1 title he so desperately sought at the end of 2020.
Even so, Seb insists he made the right call in joining the Scuderia but…
“What I do regret is a little bit the way things ended [at Red Bull],” he told Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle in Hungary. “We didn’t finish on a high but that’s how the sport is sometimes.
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“More so it was a bit weird with contracts, what I was supposed to say, allowed to say, not allowed to say.
“That made it a bit awkward and that, looking back, I have to say I regret, because we had such a fantastic time together, we achieved so much and we had a blast really.
“I should have listened to my gut more in terms of coming (clean) straight away.
“There was nothing wrong with that,” he added. “Ferrari has always been a dream of mine, I was massively inspired by my childhood, by Michael [Schumacher] in the red car, it is a fascinating brand.
“So for the right reasons I was attracted by the attractive red-haired woman that showed interest!”
Vettel’s journey with the Scuderia started well enough, with victory in just his second race and the new regulations in 2017 brought Ferrari near to Mercedes’ level, with Seb leading the championship at the summer break both in that year and 2018.
But mistakes both by him and the team saw those challenges fade and the arrival of Charles Leclerc last year led to a shift in priority towards the Monegasque which has ultimately left Vettel out in the cold.
“Our mission, my target, was to win the championship and we didn’t do that,” he acknowledged.
“So in that regard, we failed but still we had some really good years, some highlights and good races.
“So, I don’t regret it.”