Vettel feeling 'empty' after F1 swansong weekend

An overwhelmed Sebastian Vettel capped his farewell weekend from F1 with a championship point in Abu Dhabi but drained by the bewildering array of emotions that marked his final race weekend.

Vettel signed off from F1 with a tenth-place finish with Aston Martin at Yas Marina, but the four-time world champion's race and final result took a backseat to his milestone moment and to the celebrations he so much deserved.

"I feel a bit empty, to be honest, it's been a big weekend," Vettel told Jenson Button as he joined the race's top-three on the finish line.

"It was a bit of a different warm-up today to get into the race, but once the lights go off it's full-on race mode.

"Obviously, we didn't go for maybe the best strategy, so it was a shame because I think we could have turned the constructors' championship around for us.

"But overall, obviously a big day and a big thank you to all the support so many flags, so many smiling faces which has been very, very special. And yeah, I'm sure I'm going to miss more than I understand right now."

Vettel admitted that his time at Aston Martin hadn't fulfilled his sporting ambitions, but on a personal level, the last two years of his life had opened his mind to another existential dimension.

As F1's resident activist, the 35-year-old used his platform to draw his fans attention to some of the most important societal and environmental challenges of our time.

• Read also: Formula 1 comes together for farewell track run with Vettel

"I think the last two years have been maybe disappointing from a sporting point of view, but very, very useful and important to me in my life," he explained.

"A lot of things happened, a lot of things that I realised. I think it's a huge privilege being in the position that we are in and with that comes some responsibility, so I hope to pass on a little bit to the other drivers to carry on some of the good work.

"It's great to see that we have the power to inspire you with what we do and what we say. I think there are far bigger, and far more important things than racing in circles.

"But obviously, it's what we love and through that if we can transfer some of the really important values, that's big. And I think for that the last two years have been great for me.

"So, thank you for the support. Thank you for the messages, the letters and all the love in general.

"I will miss that, but it's been an absolute joy throughout my career, so thank you."

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter