Sebastian Vettel hinted his time in Formula 1 might be coming to an end ahead of Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix. The German ace has won four F1 titles in a glittering career but has played second fiddle to Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes in recent years. The Ferrari man has been criticised for making too many mistakes and, despite positive pre-season testing in Barcelona, has yet to pull up any trees during race weekends this year.
He was again out-qualified on Saturday and will start third on the grid behind the two Mercedes in the Far East. There has been plenty of speculation about Vettel’s future in recent months and he refused to give any assurances he will continue racing beyond the 2019 campaign.
“I don’t know at the moment,” he replied when asked about his future. “I am not going to be in Formula One as long as Bernie (Ecclestone) was, that’s for sure. But I hope I am going to be as fit and sharp as he is today when I am 88. “I feel on top of my game.
I am very self-critical and very ambitious. I put a lot of expectation on myself. “There are a lot of things I like at the moment and things I would miss, so that is why it is not an option to quit tomorrow. But the contract is just a piece of paper. We will see what happens.”
