Sebastian Vettel feels like 'going into rehab' following F1 retirement

Sebastian Vettel feels leaving F1 would be like going into rehab. The German has been part of the F1 paddock since 2007 when he made his debut with BMW Sauber.

He would go on to become the youngest F1 world champion in 2010. In the subsequent years, Vettel became the youngest two-time, three-time, and four-time world champion, winning four consecutive titles.

Vettel then joined Ferrari but didn't win a title there and moved to Aston Martin, where he announced his retirement from the sport. For Vettel, who has lived and breathed F1 for the last 15 years, he said that it's not going to be an easy transition. Refusing to rule out a possible return, he said to Der Spiegel:

"I'd like to rule it out. But I can't. I have no idea how I'll be ticking in a year or two. As far as the physical is concerned, I do a sport that you could still return to after a two-year break."

He continued:

"However, I hope that in two years, I can say: 'No thanks, I don't need racing anymore. I'm not sure if I want to see the races at all (after retirement). Formula 1 was my life purpose for 16 years. Now I secretly expect myself to cope without Formula 1 - like I'm going into rehab. If you like something, you can also be attached to it. I want to go the other way, detach myself and find out there are other exciting things."

The Aston Martin driver (36) is 11th in the driver standings in his final F1 season, with two races to go.

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Sebastian Vettel urges Max Verstappen to target 16 wins in a season

Max Verstappen beat Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher's record for most wins in a season (13) by winning the Mexican GP last week.

Vettel was quite complimentary of Verstappen and urged the Red Bull driver to target two more wins, which the Dutchman will achieve by winning the last two races. Vettel said:

"Well done (to him). I think he's had a hell of a season, so hopefully he goes on and get 16 (wins) by the end of the year, because anything else will be a disappointment. It is great for (Red Bull) and I still know some people there, so I am really happy for them."

He continued:

"Obviously, they have a lot of momentum from last year, and the car this year is incredible. They won races even though they were heavier than anybody else, and I think now they've finally got the weight out. So the car is there, but Max is doing an amazing job as well."

Vettel now has only two races left in his career. It will be interesting to see what lies ahead for him.