Sebastian Vettel said his first appearance in the Formula 1 paddock in Monaco after his retirement in 2022 left him anything but cold.
“I spoke to Stefano Domenicali at Formula 1 because I wanted to present him with the idea for a project that I had in mind and would like to implement,” said the four-time world champion in the “Beyond The Grid” podcast. “So I said: No problem, I’ll come and meet you in Monaco.”
Vettel admitted that he was “extremely nervous” about traveling to the principality and added: “Today I know why. I didn’t understand it at first, but I had the feeling that I had no job there.”
“What am I actually doing?” he asked himself, said Vettel. “I used to have my team, and then you had your little room, and that’s your home or your place, that’s where you belong.”
He imagined that everything would be different now. “I wasn’t lost, but nervous because I thought: Where am I going? Where is my retreat?” said Vettel. “I don’t really belong anywhere anymore, I don’t belong to any team anymore. I know a lot of people, but I don’t have a permanent place there anymore.”
Video: Ex-F1 driver explains: That’s changing now
Formula 1: Sebastian Vettel “happy to just be a guest”
But: Vettel’s first return after retiring from Formula 1 was ultimately much less bad than feared, on the contrary.
“I went in and saw so many familiar faces, that was really nice. And it wasn’t a problem because I think I maintained very good relationships with all the teams and all the people. They were all very friendly, open and gave me a warm welcome,” the 38-year-old reflected.
Vettel now looks forward to every visit to the paddock. “I’m happy just to be a guest there,” he emphasized.
However, he feels very different there than before, “because you’re no longer in racing mode,” said the ex-Formula 1 star. “You don’t race anymore, so I don’t have a specific goal when I come in.”