Vettel's six-year Ferrari career will end without his fifth F1 title, but he's looking forward to "fun" Aston Martin move in 2021
Thursday 8 October 2020 12:49, UK
Sebastian Vettel has opened up on why he has "failed" on his Ferrari F1 mission, admitting there were "fights I shouldn't have picked".
In an interview with the F1 Beyond The Grid podcast, Vettel also revealed what convinced him to join a "fun" Aston Martin project for 2021.
Vettel has been the subject of debate for much of the season, thanks largely to Ferrari deciding back in May that they wouldn't renew the four-time champion's contract. With the Scuderia currently uncompetitive, the much-fancied link-up between F1's most successful team and one of its most successful drivers will therefore end without a title after six years.
While Vettel insisted he has "no regrets" about leaving Red Bull to chase his dream in red, he confessed that "it is true that I have failed, because I set myself the mission to win the championship with Ferrari."
Detailing why, Vettel explained: "There's things that I should have done better, things I probably should have seen earlier, fights I shouldn't have picked. But then I think everything that happened brought me to where I am now.
"I'm generally not talking about stuff happens on the track. Losing the car in Hockenhem [2018] in half-wet, half-dry conditions, many people point that one out as a low point.
"But I'm not talking about things like that, more about what's going on. If I am fair, and harsh, then I have failed. Were there reasons? Probably yes. But I don't accept them as excuses."
Vettel, who had big title opportunities against Lewis Hamilton in 2017 and 2018, said he had picked fights which "maybe looking back, weren't worth fighting".
"But then again part of it is probably my nature and it was natural to do so," he added. "And I think I had a point as well in some of these some of these little fights and battles. But I think ultimately that's how you mature and how you learn."
Following plenty of speculation, Vettel's next F1 move was confirmed in September - with the German to replace Sergio Perez at the Racing Point team who will become Aston Martin for 2021.
Vettel admitted the team's owner Lawrence Stroll convinced him, along with their scope for on and off-track growth.
"[There were] a lot of factors," he said. "Those boxes were quite easy to tick in terms of the performance - the racing side of things, where the team is, where the might team might be, the potential and so on.
"But more so I think it was the mindset and the will to really do something and bring something good together. It sounds like a fun project and ultimately something I want to be part of.
"It is very different to Ferrari, obviously Racing Point as it stands today and in the future Aston Martin will be growing, there will be a lot of things happening for the first time and I think it's an incredible challenging journey for the whole team, and me joining... I hope I can contribute a lot of things and do good in the car, and outside the car."
Racing Point have vowed to bring back Vettel's best form from 2021, when he will be removed from the pressure cauldron that is Ferrari.
And Vettel continued: "I love racing and I'm looking forward to go racing.
"I don't regret the last years and I learned a lot in my time with Ferrari - a different team, a different culture - but yes, certainly Ferrari is a special team in many ways and I guess where I'm going will be different. I'm looking forward to it."
