02/04/2020
NEWS STORY
Even before the lockdown, Sebastian Vettel was not one for social media. Indeed, even though former teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, surely the most laconic driver on the grid, got the bug, Vettel has kept his distance, preferring to live his private life... in private.
Away from the grid, all the four-time world champion appears to need is his wife, a childhood sweetheart, his children and his family.
It is this simplistic approach to life that is guiding Vettel as he ponders his future, the German in the final year of his current contract with Ferrari, and while others speculate over what he might decide and how much of a pay cut he might need to take, Seb makes it clear that it's not about the money.
"It depends what's important to you, what drives you," he tells Motorsport.com. "And that's fair. If money is your motivator then it can drive you very far, and make you very successful.
"There's a lot of sportsmen, businessmen that thrive for money," he continues. "I think the question really is whether people have a sense of enough. That's not just valid for Formula 1.
"We are putting our life in a way also on the line, then you need to show some appreciation for that. Our careers also are shorter than some other careers. I think the really important thing is that you are happy, that’s the key.
"Obviously, F1 is a bit of a circus and spoiled circus. Because they have a lot of money involved and money tends to spoil people. I think on average that's true. But the question is, like I said, if you have a sense of enough."
Looking further ahead, Vettel doesn't rule out racing in other series once he calls time on F1.
"If I'm realistic, I'm not going to be here in ten years," he says. "So I think this is something you naturally start to think about.
"I'm in a very fortunate position that I can probably try and do a lot of things, once I have decided to stop racing in F1. Maybe race something else, maybe do something different in motorsport or do something completely different outside. I have some ideas, but I haven't decided. I'm quite relaxed."