Sebastian Vettel insists that his recent strong performances haven't led to regrets about his decision to retire from F1. After a difficult start to the 2022 season – where he missed the opening two races after testing positive for COVID-19 – Vettel has been on a good run of form in the latter stages of the campaign. The four-time World Champion clinched his third consecutive top 10 finish at the United States Grand Prix, as well as claiming the Driver of the Day prize for a second weekend in a row. While he finished outside of the points in Mexico, Vettel still finished ahead of teammate Lance Stroll on what was a tough weekend for Aston Martin. Despite this recent form, Vettel is not questioning whether he should extend his stay within the sport, having announced in September that he would leave Formula 1 at the end of the season.
Vettel: I thought about retirement decision long and hard
When asked if he might be quitting F1 too early, Vettel explained that he had put a lot of thought into his decision to retire. "To answer your question, no," he told media, including RacingNews365.com . "I thought about this decision long and hard and from a lot of angles. "I find it's a bit sad that we tend to swing so much [between highs and lows] now. "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 quick, we create like a massive... I don't want to say disappointment, and not because of my situation now [with] the last races versus maybe the mid part of the season, so it's more of a general thing."
Vettel reflects on good and bad races in F1
While Vettel admits that he has found his recent races more enjoyable than some earlier in the 2022 season, the change in performance has not affected his plan to retire. "I obviously enjoyed the last [few] races more than I did maybe some in the mid part of the season, but they have no impact on the decision," the German had explained ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix. "If anything, it's a great reminder of why I love this sport so much, why I love racing so much. [They have been] great races and I really enjoyed them. "But I also had races that I didn't enjoy so much, where 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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