Vettel: 'If my heart is not in F1 anymore, I will give others a chance'

Sebastian Vettel says he will leave Formula 1 when his heart is not in it anymore, to give younger drivers a chance. That can be read on the site of Planet F1.

Last season was a hectic one for the former world champion. After Ferrari dropped him, many thought that this was the end of his Formula 1 career, yet the driver found a place at the Aston Martin team.

When asked if he wants to emulate Roger Federer by staying in sport until he is 40, the German said he does not want to take a place that younger drivers might have. “If you compare it to other sports, there is a limited amount of seats in F1,” Vettel said.

“I think if your heart is not fully in it anymore, for whatever reason, then it is time to step aside and let other kids have their chance. In tennis, you can argue you’re not taking away somebody else’s spot so it is a different ball game but in racing, with only 20 seats available, potentially you are," he explained.

Vettel wants to win

The German says he will continue to race mainly for fun, but the main reason is still his desire to win. “I think we all share love to the sport otherwise we wouldn’t have gotten into this position, so that is something that unites us,” he said.

“I think then, individual motivations can be different so the nature of why you do it later on in your life career, the reasons behind it might be different. But I can only speak for myself. I’m really in it to win. Irrespective of that, I still love driving, I don't think you lose that, but I have always loved the competition of it as well, the element of fighting against the others on track, trying to find out who is the better one on the day when it matters etcetera, together working with your team trying to overcome all sorts of obstacles.” By the sounds of it, the 33-year-old driver doesn't seem to be done with Formula 1 for the time being.