Vettel on future: 'No replacement for F1'

Sebastian Vettel is quitting Formula 1 after this year, but what he will do next is still completely uncertain. The Aston Martin-driver does not yet seem to have any concrete plans for his retirement.

Race of Champions

After the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, Vettel was asked if he had any specific races in mind to do after Formula 1. Vettel only wanted to confirm one thing: the Race of Champions. Held in January in northern Sweden, this ROC pits Vettel against former F1-champion Mika Hakkinen and W Series-winner Jamie Chadwick, among others. Vettel has enthusiastically entered this race for years, so it is no surprise that he will do so again next year. " I can't think of a better place for my first race after I retire from Formula 1 than the Race of Champions," Vettel said to The Race.

On or off the track?

What the future holds next, Vettel cannot yet comment on that. "There is probably not really a replacement for F1. I don't have a list of things I want to do. A couple of things come into mind if I think about it now, but for now I'm quite looking forward to having time to think about everything, and having time to slow down. But if I want to race something, I'm sure I'll be able to think of something."

What is clear is that the four-time world champion is keeping all options open. Not just racing, but other ways of being involved in motorsport. Many other drivers chose roles as commentators after their last race, or became managers of new drivers, as Vettel's former teammate Mark Webber has done. "Maybe there might be more of this nature [the Race of Champions], maybe I’ll figure something else out completely different away from the track. I've seen many other routes others have taken. I come from the very same world as them. But right now, the only decision I'm taking is that this chapter is over."