Sebastian Vettel admitted he feels "liberated" since telling the world he will retire from Formula 1 at the end of the season.
The German's F1 career, which has yielded four world titles and 53 race wins, ends after this year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He will be replaced at Aston Martin by an even more experienced driver, in the form of 41-year-old Fernando Alonso.
Since announcing his retirement, shortly before the Hungarian Grand Prix in July, Vettel said he feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He was able to enjoy the summer break, and recharge ready for one last push in the final few months of his last-ever F1 campaign.
"I always tend to look forward to the next thing and I don't spend that much time looking back, so it has been less like the people around me expected it to be," he told reporters. "I received an overwhelming [amount of] congratulations and support after the announcement in Hungary.
"I find it difficult to reflect all these years in just a short time, so maybe it will hit me at some point later on. But I just enjoyed the [summer] break. The fact that the decision, or the fact that I was carrying this decision around with me for such a long time, it felt quite liberating [to announce it]."
Points have been difficult for Vettel to come by this year amid Aston Martin's struggles for competitiveness. He has 20 points in total, five of which have come in the four races since he told the world he would soon be leaving F1.
Team principal Mike Krack rubbished suggestions that the German is on a "farewell tour" in the final rounds of the year. "We are not thinking this is the last month, that is the last year, or this is the last time I do this," he said. "We will for sure have a farewell in Abu Dhabi, but until then, it's not really on our mind that we go now around the world and it is always the last – not at all."
And Vettel also insisted he is still giving his all to end the campaign on a high, and that his approach to each race weekend has not changed since he made the decision to retire. "I could just enjoy the break and the time I had, and also looking very much forward to the races that I have left," the 35-year-old added.
"So it didn't feel like a different break. You know, it's not like, 'oh, this is the last summer break'. I think it's difficult for any athlete, man or woman, to know what life is going to be like after you step away from what you've done your whole life. But then again, I feel time will tell."
