Norbert Vettel, father of quadruple Formula 1 Champion Sebastian Vettel revealed it was the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix that accelerated his son’s thoughts of retirement.
Sebastian Vettel announced he will retire from F1 at the end of the 2022 season ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, and despite his admission the decision was hard and need a lot of thinking, his father Norbert revealed what pushed him to take it.
“It’s a shame, but I understand him,” Norbert Vettel told RTL of his son. “It was an incredible career for my son but the low point was Austria.
“It hurt him so much to drive around at the end of the field and that accelerated those thoughts for him,” he revealed.
Norbert Vettel said he would make sure to watch his son race one more time this year before he retires, which will most probably be in Monza.
“I definitely want to do that and I’ll probably pick Monza because that’s where he got his first Formula 1 win with Toro Rosso,” Vettel senior assured.
“It was there that his great career as a four-time world champion began,” he pointed out.
Vettel and his father have a close relationship, as the Aston Martin driver often spoke of the effort his father and family put in to make sure he made it into F1.
Norbert Vettel used to be a carpenter by trade and a karting enthusiast who backed his son’s racing career from a tender age.
Vettel went on to win four consecutive Titles with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013. He has 53 wins to his name, as well as 57 pole positions.
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