F1 legend Sebastian Vettel confirms his ONLY regret

vettel, verstappen, red bull, aston martin — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Legends

Vettel confirms his ONLY Formula 1 regret

Sebastian Vettel boasts an illustrious F1 career

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 28 March 2025 10:50 Updated: 11:14

Formula 1 legend Sebastian Vettel has revealed the only regret he has when looking back over his illustrious career in the pinnacle of motorsport.

Having achieved consistent success in the 2010s, Vettel went on to endure reliability issues at Red Bull during his final season with the Milton Keynes-based team, opting for a major career change and signing for Ferrari for 2015 and beyond.

Many fans would have noticed the biggest change in Vettel's career after his final move to Aston Martin however, where he began to start using his influence in the sport to voice concerns over major issues such as sustainability and inequality.

Article continues under video

Speaking in an interview with the BBC, former Red Bull star Vettel admitted that he was ignorant to the wider issues that existed within the sport for the majority of his career.

"I was solely focused on racing, and it was the only thing that was occupying my day, really," the 37-year-old said.

Vettel reveals regret over F1 complacency

Four-time champion Vettel drove for Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin, achieving championship success with Red Bull but never quite reaching his peak form again after moving to the Maranello-based outfit.

Vettel achieved drivers' title success whilst driving for Christian Horner's Red Bull outfit from 2009 until 2014, securing back-to-back drivers' title victories from 2010 to 2013.

Vettel retired from F1 in 2022 but, during the latter stages of his career, used the well-earned respect he had garnered from other drivers to share his concern over the sport's role in climate change and the lack of diversity among the paddock.

The four-time champion was famously reprimanded for refusing to remove a 'same love' T-shirt at the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix along with a handful of other drivers on the grid, causing an outburst from fellow champion Lewis Hamilton.

Vettel provided further details over his F1 regret, adding: "Towards the last couple of years, I think it's probably one of the things, if maybe the only thing that I would say I regret is not to speak out earlier in my career and seeing the potential power in terms of reach and audience that you might have as a professional athlete to inspire people, and since then, really trying to spread messages that are important to me."

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen in Lawson ‘bullying’ update as axed Red Bull star issues official statement