Vettel wants to end difficult Ferrari F1 swansong season with "dignity"

Four-time F1 world champion Vettel has six races left for Ferrari before leaving the team after it opted against renewing his contract beyond the end of the year. Vettel will join Racing Point for the 2021 season when the team rebrands as Aston Martin.

Vettel sits 13th in the drivers' standings after struggling to match Charles Leclerc's form throughout the season, scoring less than one-third of his team-mate's points (63-17).

Vettel praised Leclerc for "doing a very good job" and that he "regularly seems to squeeze the maximum out of the car", and acknowledged his increased struggles through 2020.

"From my side, I think it's a very different year, very different circumstances going in," Vettel said.

"[I'm] probably not having the smoothest year doing [with] what I can do, and not the easiest situation. But I'm willing to give everything that I can to try and improve, and towards the end of the year, get back to where I know I can be."

Asked to expand on his comments, Vettel hinted the fact his departure from Ferrari had already been confirmed prior to the start of the season in July has made life more difficult.

"Obviously this year's car is not easy to drive for both of us," Vettel said. "I'm sitting in all of the meetings that Charles is participating in as well, and we share the opinion. For sure it's not always easy.

"But I think it's quite clear going into the season, knowing you're going to part ways, it's going to be a different sort of love story.

"Nevertheless, I respect all of the work that has been going in on my side, and in the last years and therefore I'm willing to give my maximum back.

"It's not been the easiest of years with where we are. The race as well, here and there, didn't really go our way.

"Sometimes it's like this, and myself, I have to push through and pull through, and look forward to the new tracks we have on one hand and the races that are coming up to try and put things together a little bit more."

Vettel joined Ferrari in 2015 with the hope of emulating his hero, Michael Schumacher, who won five world titles for the Scuderia in the early 2000s.

Vettel said it had been an "enormous privilege" driving for Ferrari, and that while he was excited for his next step with Aston Martin, he wanted to end his time at Maranello with dignity.

"Like all things, things come to an end, so I'm very much looking forward to a new chapter that starts next year," Vettel said.

"But before that one starts, as I said, I'll try to close the chapter here with dignity and try to get myself back together so I can deliver the sort of performances that I know that I can, overcoming those obstacles, then be ready for the new chapter.

"I don't think I'm that guy that bubbles up at the end and it all becomes super emotional. I think I'm realistic to know that things are coming to an end.

"As I said, the situation in the team now is different to maybe a year ago or two years ago, where we are, where we're headed."