Vettel is an alternative in modern society, a superstar who never shows up on social media. While his peers, even the famous former teammate Raikkonen, who is shy about the media, give us a window into their personal lives via Instagram and Twitter, Vettel prefers to keep a low profile. So what does he really look like?
During the winter test, there was a media outlet trying to learn more about his lesser-known side outside of racing. It turned out to be one of the most engaging interviews ever done inside the paddock. Throughout the interview, he never looked at his watch. Vettel's ideas were very different from many of his peers.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="7" > his love of taking notes</h1>
When Mario Thiessen was still a bmw team manager, he recalled one of the highlights of the Germans that during his Days in Formula BMW, he would try to record each race and take those notes to the next race, a habit he still maintains to this day.
He said: "I like to take notes. I now use my iPad to take some digital notes, but I prefer pen and paper. When you write with a pen, just as you write it into your head, it's easier for you to remember it. Also, the hardware in the iPad or computer changes so frequently that while my life is very organized, with these things, I'm not so organized. So I didn't use the computer, so a lot of things were lost. But if I write it down, I'm not going to throw away the notebook, I still have the notebook for the 2007 season and so on. They're useless now, but they're still there. They're all piled up on a bookshelf. ”
Vettel is very strict with himself. Although he is one of the hardest working drivers in F1, he feels he is still not doing enough. He said: "I should have written more. It's important to use your time. My idol is [German race and rally legend] Walter Rohrl. He said that any lap you didn't write down was a lap of loss, a waste, so in his words, I was a bit wasteful, but it was impossible to remember everything. ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="15" > about his love and hate for technology</h1>
"I really like written words. I understand the full meaning of emails, but I think letters are better and very personal. "Email, especially technology, Vettel treats them differently. While he realizes that some technological advances are "great, but it's helping us to become faster and more efficient," he sees it as a "thin line."
What he meant was that some would have a negative impact. "A lot of things are actually meant to steal your time and fascinate you. It annoyed me, so I didn't like it. Interestingly, many things are designed to make life simpler and give you more time, but it's actually the opposite, it makes life more complicated. I use these things, and I think some things are great, but sometimes I wish it didn't exist so there wouldn't be temptations. So I think it's a thin line. It allows us to do a lot of things, so in general, moving forward is progressive and happy. I don't think we should just go back to pen and paper, but I just think that as a side effect, it accelerates lifestyle changes that shouldn't be done, which is bad for the stress and health we can withstand. ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="21" > on the phone</h1>
"If it's an emergency, you can reach people, but now we treat everything like an emergency"
Neither Vettel's friends nor former teammate Raikkonen likes to use cell phones, especially text messages, so if there are text messages, don't expect them to get a quick response. His point is that if someone has something important to say, they call.
"How many times a day does your phone ring?" Almost never. It's supposed to be a phone, and now it's doing everything else," he said. "I mean, if it's an emergency, you're going to reach people, but now we treat everything as an emergency, but we don't actually do that. People send emails and they want to respond immediately, but it doesn't matter. Not all emails matter. ”
But does he have the latest Apple iPhone? "I have. Honestly, the main motivation for buying it is the camera. I tried to go back to digital cameras because I hated doing anything with my phone. I would say that the coolest thing about mobile phones is maps. I really like things like that. Then there are pictures, which allow you to capture moments, especially with kids and so on. I think that's great. It is also very small. I went back to the digital camera, but it was clumsy to put in my pocket. ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="28" > why he never goes on social media</h1>
"I never tried it, so I never missed it"
Vettel was the only driver in the paddock who didn't have a social media account. It's not even about following other people through social media. He's not interested in various platforms. "I'm not interested in social platforms, so I don't have a lot of apps on my phone," he said. I don't do social media, so I don't follow other people. I've never tried it, and I think it's a good thing because a lot of people tell me they're addicted to it. I've never tried it, so there's no such thing I missed it. I've roughly seen how it interacts with other people, and as far as I know, obviously you're addicted. So this is not for me. ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="33" > about his love of reading</h1>
"I have to get it done or I'll feel guilty"
Vettel admits he watches Netflix Netflix, but doesn't watch it very often. If he had time, he preferred to read some books or newspapers rather than electronic editions.
He said: "I am a big fan of the weekly newspaper. I don't read the news online, I read the newspaper. A lot of the news right now is just headlines and actually has no content. Internet media is mainly headlines and then repeats the headlines, but in reality there is no new information in the article. That's why weekly newspapers or certain journals are better, you know they have to do proper research. ”
"I read all sorts of books and I don't like a particular subject. It's more material that I find interesting. If this guy looks hilarious, I'll read this. Of course, the title will also grab you, and then you will read it carefully. But once I start, I have to finish it. I had to finish this article, even if it bore me and was stupid. I always want it to get better, so I have to get it done or I'll feel guilty. I can't tell if it's good or bad until I've read it all. ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="40" > about changes in his attitude toward food</h1>
When I was younger, I just used it as "fuel"
During the pandemic, Sebastian Vettel's Swiss home is filled with the scent of a batch of fresh pancakes containing large pieces of locally produced apples. The four-time world champion admits that when he's in the kitchen, he insists on eating simple things, making pancakes from his mother's recipes, "she used to make pancakes in a special way", one of her specialties.
Vettel admits that as he grew, his perception of food changed. "When I was younger, I just accepted it as fuel," he said. As a driver, the fact that you get is that it really turns into fuel, you fuel your body and so on, so you try to get the best combination to improve your performance and have a positive impact on your health. But going a step further, I think there's more dynamic around that, about where does the food come from? Find out what you're eating, not just what ingredients, how many calories, what effect it has on my body and where it's coming from? How did it grow? How is this animal grown/treated? ”
"I've found that this is not enough in our society and should exist. Now it's somehow completely left to the consumer. But I think there should be some kind of organization that allows you to take the responsibility away from the consumer a little bit, and likewise, the consumer should be more educated and awareness should be raised so that you can make better decisions from the big picture. ”
Travel makes it difficult to get food the right way, and travel is really bad because you don't always have time to watch behind the scenes." But when he made his home in a region of Switzerland surrounded by local farmers, he made the effort.
He said, "I'm going to meet them and see what they do. I want to convince myself personally that it's not that I'm super skeptical of everything, but that you're more comfortable. If you've seen it, if you've seen how it works, if you've talked to that person and you think it's piling up overall, you can make a judgment. ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="50" > unique category</h1>
It was this attention to detail that helped Vettel focus on the F1 challenge and allowed him to accumulate 53 Grand Prix victories, 120 podiums and 4 World Championship titles. Not only did he touch the surface, but he delved into the movement he wanted to conquer.
That's why he was one of the last to leave the track, and he had such a deep conversation with the engineers. That's why he asked so many questions to his team leaders and lead engineers about the complexities of his car or the details of their strategic plan.
He wants to control it all like his hero Michael Schumacher so he has the best chance of winning. He has just completed a contract extension with Aston Martin, but will he remain in the paddock for the 2023 season? If he does leave, F1 will undoubtedly lose a unique role from the paddock.