Sebastian Vettel, right withdrawal? Nico Rosberg’s opinion

A retreat that divided public opinion, as well as that of colleagues or former rivals.

Sebastian Vettel has decided to say goodbye to Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season, completed, however, with some high-level testing behind the wheel of his Aston Martin. This has led many to wonder if his choice was not premature, so much so that the question has been put to another driver whose retirement came in the prime of his career: Nico Rosberg.

The 2016 world champion talked about it in an interview with ‘Sport1,’ starting with his reasons for leaving Formula 1 as the reigning world champion. “I definitely wanted to avoid falling into a downward spiral. I was afraid that I would end up lower and lower, and that would have been a terrible scenario for me,” Rosberg admitted.

Then the former Mercedes driver moved on to talk about his compatriot: “For Vettel to decide to retire will not have been easy, I’m sure,” Rosberg affirmed. “Whether it was the right time to say enough, though, only he knows. In the last few races, however, he seemed mentally free, and he drove like in his heyday. He was leading in Austin, and fourth or fifth in Brazil. That’s why I think he ended his career on a positive note.”