Sebastian Vettel says Aston Martin's recent performance improvements have had "no impact" on his decision to retire from the sport at the end of the season.
Next week in Abu Dhabi, Vettel will close the curtain on his life and times as a Grand Prix driver, a sixteen-year period marked by 53 wins and four world titles.
But his final campaign among motorsport's elite has been a difficult affair, with Aston Martin's new-generation car underperforming expectations for most of the season.
However, tireless development work by the Silverstone-based outfit has improved its form in the last few races, with Vettel scoring three top-ten finishes in the last four races.
F1's future retiree is still helping his team push forward and he's tackling his final outings with a committed and 'business as usual' approach.
"I have no reason to hold back anything," he said, quoted by motorsport.com. "I'm not changing, I'm not going anywhere, so I say what I think. Nothing has changed compared to say last year."
Aston's progress led to strong races for Vettel in Singapore, Japan and Austin, while a downforce deficit and tyre issues undermined his efforts in Mexico City.
Asked if his run of form just before the Mexican Grand Prix had induced a feeling of regret regarding his decision to retire, Vettel was adamant that it hadn't.
"I thought about this decision long and hard and from a lot of angles," he explained. "I find it's a bit sad that we tend to swing so much now [regarding Aston's form].
"I see the benefits of having emotions running high and low rather than just being flat, but I think the judging in general, it's a bit too quick.
"We create a hype and too quickly we create like a massive – I don't want to say disappointment and not because of my situation now, the last races versus maybe the mid part of the season – so it's more of a general thing.
"But yeah, I obviously enjoyed the last two races, last couple of races more than I did maybe some in the mid-part of the season, but they have no impact on the decision.
"And if anything, it's a great reminder of why I love this sport so much, why I love racing so much.
"I had great races and I really enjoyed them, but I also had races that I didn't enjoy so much and I was wishing after five laps to see the chequered flag and it didn't come out.
"So, you still have to find the motivation in that and hang in there. But yeah, I wish that sometimes it just wouldn't swing as high and as low."
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