With Sebastian Vettel retiring, every F1 fan is overwhelmed by his soon absence from the sport. Even the drivers are not deprived of this feeling. Apart from being a fierce competitor, Vettel is also an admirable figure for everyone on the grid.
During the press conference of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the last race of this season, many F1 drivers shared their thoughts on Vettel. Mostly kind and heartwarming.
His arch-rival Lewis Hamilton still seems to be in denial that it’s the end of Vettel’s journey in F1. Meanwhile, even Max Verstappen has a memorable moment to share with the media about Vettel.
Also read: Sebastian Vettel offers to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes once latter retires from F1
The nicest thing Sebastian Vettel did for Max Verstappen
During the 2021 season, Verstappen had a horrible crash in Silverstone, where he had to suffer a 52g crash after Hamilton knocked his car onto the gravel. The Dutch race driver was taken to the hospital. When he returned, he was surprised to see the Aston Martin star waiting for him.
“For me, one thing I will always remember for the rest of my life. Last year, Silverstone, I came back from the hospital to get to my motorhome. And he was there waiting for me when I got out of the car,” revealed Verstappen during the press conference.
For a long time, this episode has stayed away from the media. But the dutch race driver was probably saving for a day like this. Though, nobody is aloof from the empathetic side of Vettel.
Tributes pouring in
On Thursday, before the cars finally roar in, Vettel takes an F1 car competitively for the final time. The whole grid, in their ways, is giving tribute to Vettel.
The most feasible and impactful way is to bring special designs for Vettel on their helmets. Fernando Alonso has already done that. Sharing a German flag-inspired helmet on his Instagram and Twitter with Danke Seb written on it.
From one champion to another ❤️@alo_oficial pays tribute to Seb with this incredible helmet design 💫#DankeSeb #F1 pic.twitter.com/pfhXNAppha
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 17, 2022
Meanwhile, George Russell and a few other drivers also exchanged helmets. Though, Vettel joked he doesn’t think he would have as many helmets from 2022 to exchange with everyone.
