Sebastian Vettel: F1 Does Not Define Me, Hamilton Rivalry Brings Satisfaction

Sebastian Vettel admits Formula 1 is an important part of his life but made it clear it does not “define him” as a person. The German also shed light on his rivalry with Lewis Hamilton and how it is a source of ultimate satisfaction.

The Ferrari driver is one among very few drivers on the grid that do not have a social media presence. Vettel likes to keep his private life away from the spotlight and it is no wonder that no one knows what the German does during his spare time.

Unlike Lewis Hamilton and a few others, who are always in the news for their achievements on-track and their interests off-track, Vettel’s family — his wife and two children — are rarely present at too many Grand Prix’s during the course of the season.

Vettel admits he likes to live a normal life when he is not racing and admits he does not find doing regular household chores boring. F1 drivers are looked upon as celebrities in their own right, but the Ferrari driver insists he is a sportsman and not someone that should be followed because of his looks or fashion sense.

“Obviously F1 is a big part of my life but it is not the most important thing. They are linked, but it is important there is a lot of time where it doesn’t define who I am,” Vettel said, as per PlanetF1.

“I don’t feel special because of what I do for a job. I am a lot of other things as well. It doesn’t define me as a person. It is not who I am, it is what I do."

“I am happy to do things that people think are boring but for me they are not. Being at home, mowing the lawn. I cook — not so good, but from time to time,” the German added. “I do the school run, I go shopping, I take the metro and the bus. I think it’s just normal to be normal.”

“I am sportsman, I am not celebrity. So when I go somewhere and somebody recognises me I think they are interested in sport and not in how I do my hair, or which shoes I am wearing or that bollocks.”

On his rivalry with Hamilton, the four-time world champion admits it is something he wants on a regular basis when he is racing. He revealed that challenging for race wins is a source of ultimate satisfaction and admits that it is intense when it is a close battle.

Vettel is currently leading the F1 Drivers’ championship by eight points from Lewis Hamilton after 10 races and it looks like Ferrari are the real deal this season after a they failed to sustain their title challenge in 2017.

“It is something you want, you want to be in close rivalry,” Hamilton said. “You want to be in a position so you can fight for victory, that is the ultimate satisfaction, of course it is more intense when it is closer.”