Talk of the hour- The four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has announced his retirement from Formula 1. The Aston martin driver recently revealed that he is set to bid goodbye to F1 after the end of the 2022 season. He started his rookie season with BMW Sauber at the United Stated GP in 2007. Vettel revealed the sad news on his newly created Instagram account.
The 35-year-old won all his four consecutive championships with Red Bull from 2010-2013. He was also a part of a fierce rivalry with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. It was the time when the German moved to Ferrari after the end of his stint with Red Bull. Sebastian has raced in 290 GPs and managed to win the third-highest 53 races in F1 history with 57 poles, 38 fastest laps, and 3076 championship points in total.
After his first season with Sauber, Vettel moved to Toro Rosso for the 2007-08 season, replacing Scott Speed at the Hungarian GP. The German driver struggled to finish races early in the season. However, Sebastian Vettel became the youngest driver to win a Grand Prix at the age of 21 years and 74 days at the Italian GP. It was Toro Rosso’s one and only won in motorsport. Vettel was also named the 2008 Rookie of the Year at the Autosport Awards. He continued his F1 career with Red Bull, joining the Austrian outfit in 2009.
The German driver went on to win four consecutive championships from 2010-13 and remained at Red Bull until 2014. After moving to Ferrari in 2015, Vettel put up some great performances. He even came very close to winning championships against Lewis Hamilton. However, the 35-year-old failed to beat a dominant Mercedes in the championship during his run for the Italian outfit. Vettel finally moved to Aston martin for the 2021 season and is currently with the team for his second season.
Vettel Talks About His Formula 1 Journey
Recently, the Aston Martin driver announced that his 15th season would be his final one in F1. Sebastian shared it was a privilege to work with some great personalities in F1 over the course of the last 15 years. Vettel admitted that his two stints with Aston Martin did not go as well as he would have hoped. However, according to Vettel, the team had the potential it needed to race at the highest level in the future.
The 35-year-old hoped that the work he did with Aston Martin in his two stints would help the team develop and possibly get their first win in the future. Vettel shared he would work hard as he could until the end of the season with an aim to give his best in the last ten races. He also expressed his gratitude to Lawrence Stroll, lance Stroll, Martin Whitmarsh, Mike Krack, the senior manager, engineers, mechanics, and the whole team.
Sebastian Vettel revealed that the decision to retire was difficult to make. However, he suggested that he spent a lot of time thinking about it and would like to take some time to reflect on his goals for the future. Vettel mentioned that he would like to spend some time with his family and fulfill his role as a father. The Aston Martin driver concluded, “But today is not about saying goodbye. Rather, it is about saying thank you to everyone, not least to the fans, without whose passionate support Formula 1 could not exist.”
Lewis Hamilton Shares A Heartfelt Message On Vettel’s Retirement
Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton recently shared a story congratulating Sebastian Vettel for a successful F1 career. The Briton wrote that it had been an honor to call the German driver a competitor and a greater honor to call him a friend. The seven-time world champ added, “You are leaving the sport better than you found it, which is always the goal. I have no doubt that whatever comes next for you will be exciting, meaningful, and rewarding. Love you, man.”