Sebastian Vettel admits the adrenaline rush he got from Formula 1 for fifteen years will be impossible to replace in his future life.
After 299 Grand Prix starts, 53 wins and four world titles since 2007, Vettel has moved out of the fast lane and into a plush retirement.
The 35-year-old ex-F1 driver has yet to set his course for the future, but wherever life takes him next, Vettel is unlikely to encounter that special stimulative tingle that was such a big part of his day job for fifteen years.
©AstonMartin
"I definitely thought about a lot of things and about the adrenaline as well," Vettel said as he pondered his retirement, quoted by Motorsport Week.
"And to me, the peak of the adrenaline was/is always Suzuka, because the track really shows the most the cars can deliver and made me feel most alive compared to, let’s say, maybe other tracks.
"So yeah, I will miss that and that will be impossible to replace. I can do lots of other things and I have lots of opportunities, probably.
"I think I’m in a very privileged and lucky position. But when it comes to adrenaline, the sort of feeling alive inside the car, when you feel the forces and the grip and everything around the track, yeah that will disappear.
"But I feel at some point it’s going to hit all of us – except Fernando [Alonso]!
"I think it’s something we’ll ultimately have to learn to deal with and find something else to maybe replace that in a little way. So we’ll see."
At last October's Japanese Grand Prix, Vettel suggested that, because of his long-standing infatuation with Suzuka, he would consider a one-return to the venue
"Obviously I love driving, and around this track I always felt very alive, and the passion feels very alive, so we'll see what type of car, maybe in the future, will come up," he said.
"Maybe if one of [the other drivers] feels a bit sick, I wouldn't mind jumping back in for a race in Suzuka any time, but obviously we'll see what the future brings."
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