Vettel not ruling out non-driving F1 role

Sebastian Vettel is not ruling out stepping into a non-driving role in Formula 1 once he hangs up his helmet at the end of 2022.

Shortly after the quadruple world champion recently announced his decision to retire, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said he would talk to Vettel to find out "if he is interested in becoming part of our system".

In early August, the German magazine Sport Bild speculated that the 35-year-old German’s new role could be related to his recent activism in the area of environmentalism, sustainability and social progress.

When asked about that, the Aston Martin driver said at Spa-Francorchamps: "I don’t know. Time will tell.

"I’m obviously entering a different stage of my life, and I have so much experience, so many lessons that I learned about the sport, not just about driving, but the bigger picture about the sport," Vettel said.

"It would be very easy to pick up certain roles and share that expertise."

However, he said whether he ultimately takes a role depends on "what exactly" it involves.

"And it depends on the seriousness," Vettel added. "I’m certainly not thinking of being an expert running around and telling these guys what they’re doing wrong. I don’t see myself doing that."

What he does rule out, however, is giving up his Aston Martin cockpit before the Abu Dhabi finale this season.

"No," Vettel said. "I want to finish the job that I set out doing."