Vettel backed to retire from F1 at end of the year

Ralf Schumacher is confident four-time champion Sebastian Vettel will retire from F1 at the end of the season.

Vettel joined Aston Martin ahead of the 2021 campaign after spending six years racing at Ferrari.

But with Schumacher claiming the switch has not paid off, the former Williams and Toyota driver believes the curtain will soon fall on his compatriot's career.

"I don't think Sebastian will drive at Aston Martin beyond the year," Schumacher told Mopo.de.

"This [move] went in the wrong direction.

"My prognosis is that he will retire at the end of the year and devote himself to all the environmental issues that are very important to him."

With teams already locking in drivers on long-term deals, Schumacher also does not see an opening for Vettel elsewhere in the paddock.

He added: "I doubt he'll get the chance.

"Sebastian is still on a decent level, but he's just not the future. If a team reorients itself, it won't do that with Sebastian."

Spanish GP a test of bravery and trust

Vettel anticipates this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix to be "different" to recent years with bravery and trust required.

The Barcelona race has often been one of the more processional events on the F1 calendar with the turn 14-15 chicane limiting the ability of the previous generation of car to follow onto the pit straight.

However, the following ability of this year's cars is vastly improved with cornering speeds also on the rise, leading Vettel to believe more bravery will be required than on other recent visits to Spain.

"Barcelona will showcase a lot of the behaviour inherent in these 2022 cars; the lower-speed corners will be a physical challenge, while the faster sections will be about bravery and trusting in the ground effect," said Vettel.

"Passing has usually been tricky here but I think these cars have shown they’re much better at going wheel-to-wheel, so I think it will be a different race to previous Spanish Grands Prix."

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