“Sebastian Vettel stayed one year too long”- Former Ferrari officer reveals why 35-year should have left F1 sooner

Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement from F1 earlier this week and it has sent shockwaves around the world of sports.

Vettel is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. He won four back to back Titles between 2010 and 2013 during his time with Red Bull, but since then his career has never been the same.

He joined Ferrari in 2015, in a move that many saw as a match made in heaven. It didn’t turn out to be quite as fruitful as either party hoped. The German driver won 14 races during his time in Maranello, but could never pose a serious threat to Lewis Hamilton or Mercedes.

BREAKING: Sebastian Vettel has announced his retirement from F1 at the end of 2022. pic.twitter.com/h2CUYVvhRc

— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) July 28, 2022

After a disastrous 2020 season, Vettel moved to Aston Martin. It was a team that was recently acquired by Lawrence Stroll, and fans expected them to make huge strides in a short time.

The Silverstone based outfit however, did not make a big charge and Vettel spent the majority of 2021 and 2022 fighting for the lower points position.

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Sebastian Vettel should have left Formula 1 sooner

Some reports have suggested that Vettel was considering retirement from 2018. As a result, the fact that he stayed at a team like Aston Martin for two years when he wasn’t fighting for podiums or Titles, was surprising to some.

Former Ferrari press officer Alberto Antonini agrees with them. Antonini worked closely with the four-time World Champion when he was with the Scuderia, and feels that Vettel stayed longer than he thought he would’ve.

Sebastian Vettel’s announcement that he will retire from Formula 1 came as a surprise to many, but not Alberto Antonini, who worked with the 4x world champion as Ferrari’s press officer. #F1 🏎️🏁 pic.twitter.com/AgnsCRKRFn

— GoF1 Show – live shows about Formula 1 (@GoF1Show) August 3, 2022

During a live interview with GoF1 Show, he was asked if Vettel’s retirement surprised him. An adamant no is what he replied with. However, he insisted that his own performance was not a huge factor in him making this call.

“No, not at all,” he said. “He probably I mean. I would go as far as say he stayed one year too long. It’s nor performance wise because he has been able to perform. He had his ups and downs.

“It’s probably related to his sate of mind himself. But yeah,” he continued. “It was high time for him to say, ‘Okay, let’s pull the plug on this and do something else’.”

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