After an emotional final race for the retiring Sebastian Vettel, the four-time world champion said after the race that he feels ‘a bit empty’ now that his F1 career has come to an end.
Left on track doing a one-stop strategy while most of the midfield chose to adopt a two-stop strategy frustrated the German as he was getting swallowed by the cars on faster rubber.
However, Vettel made the most of his final opportunity on track as he made his way up to tenth place to snatch a point for the standings after coming out of the pit lane in 19th place.
In terms of the actual race, Vettel stated that he would have liked a few more points, but he enjoyed it nonetheless: “I think it was a bit of a different warm-up today to get into the race, but once the lights go off, it’s full-on race mode.
“Today we maybe didn’t go for the best strategy. It was a shame because I think we could have turned the constructors’ championship around for us.
“Overall a big day and a big thank you for all the support. So many flags and so many smiling faces, which has been very special, very nice. I’m sure I’m going to miss it more than I understand right now.
The German driver started his career in the points when he picked up a single point for his eighth-place finish with BMW Sauber in the 2007 United States Grand Prix and achieved the feat in his final race as well.
In between that, Vettel has celebrated four world championships, 53 race victories and 57 pole positions.
“I don’t have that much more to say, I feel a bit empty, to be honest. It’s been a big weekend,” Vettel continued.
“I think it’s a huge privilege to be in the position we are in and with that comes a huge responsibility. So I hope to pass on some of the good work. It’s great to see that we have the power to inspire you with what we say.
“There are far bigger and far more important things than racing in circles, but obviously it’s what we love. Through that, if we can transfer some of those important values, I think that’s really big.”
I wish Vettel all the best in his retirement from Formula One. I’d like to see Vettel, Ricciardo, and Schumacher sharing a car at Le Mans next year, in whatever category. I’m sure they’d be competitive, and would bring an additional avenue of interest to the race.