Departing Ferrari driver sits down with Martin Brundle for wide-ranging interview in Sky F1's Hungarian GP build-up from 12.30pm on Sunday
Sunday 19 July 2020 12:36, UK
Sebastian Vettel has told Sky Sports F1 he is 'excited' about what his future will hold beyond Ferrari – and outlined the factors that would motivate him to continue in Formula 1.
For the first time since he broke onto the top-level scene as a hugely-promising teenage BMW test driver in 2006, Vettel finds himself facing an uncertain future after Ferrari chose to replace him for next season.
The four-time champion spoke at length to Martin Brundle on Thursday in an interview that airs in Sky F1's exclusively live coverage of Sunday's Hungarian GP from 12.30pm.
An extended version of the interview will be made available on Sky F1's digital platforms and YouTube channel afterwards on Sunday.
Asked by Brundle how he felt about not being in control of his future for the first time, Vettel said: "Exciting, to be honest. Exciting in the way that if one door shuts, I think another one will open.
"Whatever that door will be, I don't know yet, is the honest answer. It might be, I don't know, staying in Formula 1. It might be racing something else. It might be saying goodbye for a certain time, for good.
"Age is obviously not a problem because I still have a lot of years on the clock."
And although Vettel, who turned 33 recently and is a winner of 53 grands prix, insists he will take time to explore his options - he says what has become crystal clear recently is that competing and achieving are the factors that motivate him.
"For me I have also in this period found out I love to compete," he explained. "I love to win.
"Obviously I would have hoped there's more races that you mentioned that I had won, but it's still not too bad.
"So that's why I'm here. I'm not here to just participate, not here to 'be a Formula 1 driver', not here to make money. I've been in a very fortunate position and I should be ok unless I completely mismanage.
"But I'm really here to achieve something. I will see in the next time whether that's in the cards or it's not. That will drive my decision."
Vettel, who states that "given the right circumstances I feel I have a lot more to give", has been heavily linked to Racing Point in recent days, on a weekend where the future Aston Martin team have qualified behind only world champions Mercedes in Hungary.
Having already confirmed on Thursday "loose talks" with the outfit, Vettel admits to Sky F1 that the project "sounds exciting from the outside" but stressed: "I've been around for such a long time that you try to look beyond that and see what might form up and what might not form up along the grid."
Elsewhere in his interview with Martin Brundle, Vettel discusses:
Tune in to Sky Sports F1 from 12.30pm on Sunday to find out his answers...
