As a four-time Formula One World Champion and still Formula One’s youngest champion, Sebastian Vettel has proven his abilities as a driver. But after 16 years in Formula One, speculation has risen in recent years that retirement is arriving and inevitable.

Vettel signed onto Aston Martin after his journey with Ferrari came to a salty end. The retirement rumors started back in 2020 when Ferrari announced they would not extend Vettel’s contract. After six years with Ferrari, Vettel failed to capture a Drivers’ Championship and deemed his years with Ferrari “a failure.” It was rumored back then that Vettel might leave the sport.

Despite all the speculation, Aston Martin signed Vettel in the middle of the 2020 season, a two-year deal ending after the 2022 season, which is December this year. Therefore, speculation starts again as F1 approaches the summer break. Most of the time, the driver lineup for the upcoming season will be mostly settled around the summer break. So, Vettel’s future is, once again, in question.

At earlier stages of this year, Vettel came clean about his potential retirement. He said in an interview, “I don't want to fight for the points, but for the victory. Otherwise, the fun is gone for me.” The four-time World Champion also said, “In the coming weeks, in consultation with my family, I will be clear about how realistic my goals are and about how much energy I still have to grow with the team. Of course, it also depends on the direction in which the car develops [and] how much potential I see in the team.”

With the recent run of poor form from Aston Martin, Vettel’s words made it seem like retirement is very much a likely option for the German. Aston Martin has been struggling over the last two seasons. With car performances incapable of fighting for wins or even points in some races, the results must be far from Vettel’s expectations when he signed the contract to join. However, in the press conference before the French Grand Prix, Vettel gave another update on his future: “I think there is a clear intention to keep going, and we’ll see soon where we stand.”

If Vettel doesn’t want to call it yet, Aston Martin will certainly be happy to have an experienced veteran on their team. After all, these are just words. Vettel still needs pen and paper to seal the deal. Will Vettel stay, or will this be the last hurrah of one of the most successful F1 drivers ever? We will need to wait for an official announcement from either the driver or the team.