Sebastian Vettel has been racing in Formula 1 for 15 years. With four races to go, it is time for the four-time world champion to look back on his very successful career.

The German driver held a candid interview held with his team Aston Martin. For instance, he was asked what he learned in Formula 1 and how he experienced his youth and whether he can still provide advice to his successor Fernando Alonso.

"There are a lot of lessons in life and it's up to you whether you choose to learn from them", says a wise Vettel. He adds that being a Formula 1 driver is an accelerated way of life that applies to most professional athletes. "You have everything that happens in normal life, but it's more compressed in terms of time."

Young adult

Because he took his racing career seriously and already interacted a lot with adults, he did have to grow up earlier than his friends at school. The German says this did not make his childhood any less boring and certainly allowed him to fool around in his teenage years. Growing up earlier was because he was bursting with discipline to achieve what he achieved.

Confidence in successor

Asked if he has any advice for the two-time world champion to succeed him at Aston Martin, Vettel expressed a lot of confidence: "Fernando doesn't need any advice. I'm not sure he's taking any advice, but he doesn't need it anyway. He's been around for so long and seen so much – he'll be fine."

Finally, Vettel is thanked by the interviewer for his impressive career to which the German says: "You know, it's funny, a lot of people say thank you to me, but I want to thank them more. If I did what I did and no one was watching – no people in the grandstands, no emotions from the outside – it wouldn't mean a thing. I want to say thank you to so many people for making my racing career, my life, what it is."