Sebastian Vettel, a four-time Formula One world champion, has announced his retirement at the end of the current season. In 2007, the 35-year-old German made his F1 debut while driving for the Aston Martin squad. When he won his first title at the age of 23 years and 134 days, he became the sport’s youngest world champion, and he has since amassed 53 victories in a dazzling career.
He added in a statement, “The decision to retire was tough for me to make, and I spent a great deal of time considering it.”
Vettel made an immediate impression, but success has eluded him for the majority of the second part of his F1 career. Between 2010 and 2013, he won four titles with Red Bull before joining Ferrari in 2015. In 2017 and 2018, he attempted to win the title with Scuderia but was defeated both times by Lewis Hamilton.
He remained with Ferrari until the end of 2020 before joining Aston Martin in 2021, however, he hasn’t won a race since the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix. However, throughout his time with Red Bull and Ferrari, he amassed a large number of victories, and with 53, he trails only Lewis Hamilton (103 victories) and Michael Schumacher (91 victories).
In recent years, Vettel’s outspokenness on environmental and social concerns has increased. He has been upfront about the gravity of the climate emergency and enthusiastically backed Hamilton’s pleas to confront racism and promote diversity in the sport. Recently, he has expressed reluctance about racing in F1, a sport with a massive carbon footprint due to the extensive plane travel involved. He is expected to continue pursuing these topics, although he did not disclose his plans.
“At the end of the year, I intend to devote more time to contemplating my future priorities,” he remarked. “As a father, it is quite clear to me that I want to spend more time with my family. However, today is not a goodbye day. Rather, it is an opportunity to express gratitude to everyone, including the fans, without whose fervent support Formula One would not exist.
His retirement frees up a seat opposite Lance Stroll at Aston Martin, which is owned by Stroll’s wealthy father Lawrence, who has lofty goals for the club.
Vettel debuted for BMW at the 2007 United States Grand Prix before joining Toro Rosso mid-season. A year later, he executed an absolute masterclass for the team in the rain at Monza to take his first victory and become the sport’s youngest Grand Prix winner at the time, a distinction since claimed by Max Verstappen.
In 2011, he won 11 races, and in 2013, he won 13. He was promoted to the complete Red Bull squad in 2009, and with the team and its car at their peak, he won four championships, including two utterly dominant seasons in 2011 and 2013, when he won 11 and 13 races, respectively. He will end his F1 career at the season’s last race in Abu Dhabi, which will be his 300th event.
He is currently fourteenth in the championship while driving a very uncompetitive Aston Martin, yet he gave appreciation to the team. “I have been an Aston Martin driver for the past two years, and although our results have not been as excellent as we had hoped, it is apparent to me that the team is putting together what it takes to compete at the highest level for years to come,” he stated.
Stroll stated that he had hoped Vettel would remain with the team, but he understood his decision to leave. He stated, “We made it obvious to him that we wanted him to remain with us next year.” “However, in the end, he did what he believed was best for himself and his family, and we appreciate that.” Behind the scenes, his experience and ability with our engineers have proven to be tremendously beneficial.”
Hamilton, who defeated Vettel to win the 2014 drivers’ championship, tweeted: “Seb, it’s been an honor to call you a competitor and an even bigger honor to call you a friend. Always strive to leave this sport better than you found it. I do not doubt that whatever is ahead for you will be engaging, meaningful, and fruitful. Love you, man.”
