10 March 2023 , 17:55
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Oh, to be a fly on the wall in Sebastian Vettel's living room on Sunday afternoon.
The Bahrain Grand Prix was the curtain-raiser of the 2023 Formula 1 season, but of course it was also the first race since Vettel's retirement from the sport. At the age of 35, he decided last year that he no longer wanted to commit to the demanding F1 schedule.
Instead, he is spending more time with his beloved wife and children while he decides what his next steps will be. So last Sunday, as the lights went out in Bahrain, he was presumably sat there on his sofa – a pilsner in one hand and the other arm embracing his doting family – as surprised as the rest of us as Fernando Alonso stuck his Aston Martin on the podium.
Vettel, of course, spent the last two years of his F1 career with the Silverstone team. He wasn't able to enjoy a great deal of success as the team struggled for performance, but the German played a key role by using his vast experience to help the development of their car and of the staff there.
This looks like the season that all the hard work might finally pay dividends. Naturally, it has led to a simple question being raised – will Vettel have been sat there on his sofa regretting the choice he made as he watched Alonso reap the benefits of his efforts?
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"I think so," said Ralf Schumacher when asked that question by Sky Germany. "On the other hand, he'll be happy to be home, not to have the stress. It wasn't always that easy in a team either. But of course it is the wish of every driver to celebrate the start of the season like this."
Fernando Alonso looks set to enjoy the fruits of Sebastian Vettel's labour at Aston Martin (PA)And Simon Lazenby agrees, as the British Sky Sports presenter said: "If you're Sebastian Vettel, you're thinking, 'What on earth have I done? He'll be sitting there probably thinking to himself 'that could've been me'."
But not everyone agrees that will be the case. Former F1 driver Hans Joachim Stuck told Eurosport: "In his place, I'd be more happy for Aston Martin because it's thanks to his work, among other things, that they're now up front.
"He has taken a new path in his life. "For a long time he was extremely successful. If he then decides to take care of his family and lead a different life, he has to do it consistently."