Sebastian Vettel has given a coy response to a suggestion his retirement from Formula 1 may not be far away.
Last weekend good friend and former F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone claimed it wouldn’t take much for the German to hang up his helmet with scrutiny growing on him alongside Charles Leclerc at Ferrari.
And at least from one perspective, Vettel admitted the Briton was right.
“I’m not going to be in Formula 1 as long as he was, that’s for sure, but I hope I’m going to be as fit and as sharp as he is today when I’m hopefully that old,” he was quoted by F1i.com.
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The ambition of following Michael Schumacher as a world champion with Ferrari is something Vettel has always touted as driving his motivation.
And, for the time being at least, the four-time world champion insists that remains intact.
“I don’t know, to be honest. At the moment I feel on top of my game, I feel that I know what I’m doing,” he stated.
“I’m very very self-critical, very ambitious and I put a lot of expectation on to myself.
“I love driving, I love the sensation of the speed, I love fighting with these guys so there’s a lot of things that at the moment I really like and I’ll miss so that’s why it’s not an option to quit tomorrow,” Vettel added.
“I’m quite happy to race.”