Sebastian Vettel, a four-time Formula One world champion, announced on Thursday that he would retire at the conclusion of the 2022 season.
“At the end of the year, I want to spend some more time thinking about what I want to prioritize. As a father, it is obvious to me that I want to spend more time with my family. But saying goodbye is not the purpose of today.
Instead, it’s about expressing thanks to everyone, especially the fans, because Formula One would not be possible without their active support.
When he was a Red Bull driver from 2010 to 2013, Vettel won four titles in a row. However, after switching to Ferrari and then Aston Martin last year, he had trouble matching those performances.
In terms of all-time Grand Prix victories, he ranks third with 53, trailing only Michael Schumacher (103) and Lewis Hamilton (103) (91). 2019 saw Vettel’s most recent victory in Singapore.
The executive chairman of Aston Martin, Lawrence Stroll’s son Lance is the team’s other driver, described him as “one of the all-time greats of Formula One” and added that working with him had been a delight.
He will keep competing for us through the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will mark his 300th Grand Prix appearance. You can expect a grand send off to one of the all time greats.
In 2007, the German made his Formula One debut with BMW Sauber in the US Grand Prix. He raced in the final seven races of the season after joining Toro Rosso the same year.
After that, he raced for Toro Rosso for an entire season before moving up to Red Bull in 2009.
At the age of 23 years and 134 days, Sebastian Vettel won his first championship in 2010 and became the youngest world champion in history.
After six years with Ferrari, where he twice lost out on the world championship to Hamilton in 2017 and 2018, he went to Aston Martin last season.
After only one podium finish with his new team, Vettel trailed in 12th place in the 2021 drivers’ championship. He missed the first two races with Covid-19 and is currently ranked 14th in the standings this season with only 15 points.
Despite the fact that we have not achieved the results we had hoped for, Vettel stated, “It is extremely evident to me that everything is being put together that team must continue to compete at the highest level for years to come.
“I will work as hard as I can up until the end in the belief that the work I do now and the effort with which I performed last year will be beneficial in the development of a team that will win in the future.
