I always thought records were there to be broken.

Technology has certainly reduced performance differences among drivers. Whereas a talented driver could get a half-second out of every lap in the past, nowadays talent makes up for only about one or two tenths of a second. But the driver is still the key factor.

I retired simply because I didn't have the passion and motivation anymore, I was tired. At the time I thought, 'Well, I had a great time, there is the end.' At some moment there is the right time to call it an end.

Just being a mediocre driver has never been my ambition. That's not my style.

I just want to be known as a very normal person and be treated as that and be able to walk down the street like anyone else.

An engineer can look at the data, but he needs a translator from the cockpit - the driver - to understand it completely. For example, only the driver can tell you why he abruptly takes his foot off the gas pedal at a certain point. The data doesn't necessarily tell the engineer whether the driver made a mistake at that point or the car was acting up. The information the driver provides often helps determine the direction of development.

I have to say it's been tough to leave the Ferrari family, which has been a big part of my career.