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Goble punctuates retirement with pickaxe

ABU DHABI – A crowd of stunned onlookers stared at the remains of Jonathan Goble's helmet in pit lane after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. If there was any doubt about the 35-year-old American's intent to retire, Goble had erased them -- by driving the pointy end of a pickaxe through his helmet on global television.

Goble told reporters he was "satisfied" with his career. "I wish I had won a season title along the way, but there's only so many to go around," he said. "At the end of the day, I made my name known and I will happily hang what's left of this helmet on that."

Speaking of that helmet, Goble laughed when asked why he would do such a thing. "Why not? It's never going to be used again, so why not have some fun with it? Besides, my personal assistant Mary dared me to do it. She's been awesome to work with throughout my career and I wish her the best of luck going forward."

It was a fitting end to a season that Goble spent winding down his activities. Outside of Formula 1, his two farewell series, and his Nations Cup duties, Goble did very little other racing this season compared to previous seasons. When asked why he began winding down so early, the answer was simple: family.

"Like I said when I announced my retirement, I want to spend more time with my family. Jason just had his first birthday last week while I was racing in Brazil and I wasn't able to be there for it. But I was able to be there for many of his milestones. I saw his first steps a few weeks ago and his first words. I wouldn't have been able to see those things if I were still racing full-time. And now I'll never have to miss another moment."

A representative from Goble's management team, Speed Incorporated, said that they were unsure of a replacement for Goble. "We had reached out to a youth candidate, but they ultimately signed with a different team," said the representative. "We are still evaluating our options and intend to take our time to find the best driver without rushing the process. In the meantime, you may see us spend a year or two fielding a variety of test drivers in the lower ranks of the sport as we research certain things."