'Vettel's news would be dwarfed by the events it triggered' — Mark Hughes

Sebastian Vettel's retirement announcement sparked a series of driver moves on the F1 grid, with Alpine left unimpressed

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When Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement, effective from the end of this season, on the eve of the Hungarian Grand Prix, he probably had no idea that this news would subsequently be dwarfed by the train of events it triggered. Vettel has been considering retirement on and off, he revealed, since 2018. But after not being invited, at the beginning of 2020, by Ferrari to discuss new contract terms for ’21 and beyond and after a woeful final season there, he felt he had a point to prove to himself. Hence his acceptance of Aston Martin’s offer. Although the car has not been as competitive as all involved hoped, Vettel has shown there are days when he can still deliver very strong performances. His podiums last year at Baku and Hungary (at the latter he was disqualified) were each terrific drives.

“The decision to retire has been a difficult one for me to take,” he said in his statement, “and I have spent a lot of time thinking about it. At the end of the year I want to take some more time to reflect on what I will focus on next; it is very clear to me that, being a father, I want to spend more time with my family. But today is not about saying goodbye. Rather, it is about saying thank you – to everyone – not least to the fans, without whose passionate support Formula 1 could not exist.”

“This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023”

Although not mentioned in the statement, his environmental campaigning has led him to question whether it’s appropriate for him to be competing in F1. Asked on Question Time a few months ago whether this didn’t make him a hypocrite, he replied. “It does, it does and you are right when you laugh because there are questions I ask myself every day. I am not a saint but I am very concerned about the future. It is something I ask myself, whether I should be racing in Formula 1. It is my passion to drive a car and I love it, and every time I step in a car I love it, but when I get out of the car I am thinking, ‘Is this something we should do, travelling the world and wasting resources?’”

It became difficult upon hearing such a stark assessment to believe he would be continuing in F1 for much longer. Especially in a team funded by Aramco. When he turned up at the Canadian GP with a T-shirt bearing the message ‘Stop mining tar sands’, the conflict was plainer than ever and it was notable that he did not continue wearing it for the rest of the weekend. His choice, said the team.

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Regardless, Thursday in Hungary marked a four-time world champion saying goodbye to the sport. It was a very big deal. Fellow drivers lined up to give their tributes, Lewis Hamilton’s being particularly heartfelt: “There’s no lack of bravery in Sebastian. He has been one of the few drivers in racing history that has stood for much more than himself. He’s used his voice in things that I’ve fought for and stood by me, he’s taken the knee, he’s gone on his own journey and stood on the grid and fought for things that he believed in, and for the greater good. I think he’s just a really beautiful human being and I’m really grateful to have been here in a time that he was racing.”

That became history on the Monday after Budapest. Fernando Alonso, 41 years old, and having told Alpine he was basically ready to sign its contract offer, would instead be heading to Aston Martin in 2023, replacing Vettel to begin a ‘multi-year agreement’.

It’s easy to imagine Alonso feeling slighted at a one-year contract offer

In hindsight this was predictable. Alonso has been driving at a sometimes extraordinary level this year, qualifying the mid-grid car second-fastest in the rain of Canada, threatening a similar position in Melbourne until a systems failure-induced crash. His stunning racecraft, the habit he has of outsmarting those he’s racing against and the raw speed are all still there.

So when Alpine boss Laurent Rossi baulked at Alonso’s request for a multi-year deal and suggested one year at a time, it’s easy to imagine Alonso feeling slighted. Rossi had a problem of fitting three into two, with Esteban Ocon already on a long-term deal and a commitment to give Alpine Academy driver Oscar Piastri an F1 seat in ’23 or risk losing him. Piastri could be placed, but Rossi clearly wanted him back at some point. He’s highly rated. Alonso’s age was obviously a factor in Rossi’s thinking.

Meanwhile McLaren, thinking about the possibility of a post-Daniel Ricciardo era starting as early as next year, was interested in Piastri. Let’s say here that Piastri is shrewdly managed by Mark Webber who used to be shrewdly managed by Flavio Briatore, as did Alonso…

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It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine Alonso knowing that Vettel was considering retirement, having informal chats with Aston Martin’s Lawrence Stroll and keeping Briatore and Webber up to date. More up to date than he may have been keeping Rossi.

So with the shock of Alonso’s departure, it’s clear Rossi’s stand-off has failed. At least they had Piastri to slot into place. But did they? There was a suggestion that he might have entered into a pre-agreement with McLaren and was keen to go there. Could Alpine now have lost Alonso and Piastri? The following day Alpine announced Piastri as its driver for 2023.

Later the same day Piastri tweeted: “I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.” Suddenly Vettel’s retirement announcement seemed a long time ago.

Since he began covering grand prix racing in 2000, Mark Hughes has forged a reputation as the finest Formula 1 analyst of his generation
Follow Mark on Twitter @SportmphMark

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