Sebastian Vettel will retire from Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season

[Maniés]

German driver Sebastian Vettel, winner of 4 Formula 1 world titles, will end his motorsports career at the end of this season, Aston Martin announced today.

He became F1 world champion in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 always at Red Bull, winning 53 races.

Vettel made his F1 debut in 2007 at the US Grand Prix and took his first victory in 2008 at the Italian Grand Prix 

With a superior car to his opponents, the German completely dominated the races in the following 4 years and became champion between 2010 and 2013. The transfer to Ferrari gave him as best results, 2 second places in the 2017 and 2018 World Championships.

Vettel said:

“I have had the privilege of working with many fantastic people in Formula 1 over the past 15 years – there are far too many to mention and thank,”.

“Over the past two years I have been an Aston Martin driver – and although our results have not been as good as we had hoped, it is very clear to me that everything is being put together that a team needs to race at the very highest level for years to come. “I have really enjoyed working with such a great bunch of people. Everyone – Lawrence Stroll, Lance Stroll, Martin Whitmarsh, Mike Krack, the senior managers, the engineers, the mechanics and the rest of the team – is ambitious, capable, expert, committed and friendly, and I wish them all well.

“I hope that the work I did last year and am continuing to do this year will be helpful in the development of a team that will win in the future, and I will work as hard as I can between now and the end of the year with that goal in mind, giving as always my best in the last 10 races.

“The decision to retire has been a difficult one for me to take, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about it; at the end of the year I want to take some more time to reflect on what I will focus on next; it is very clear to me that, being a father, I want to spend more time with my family. “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.”

Sad to see such a legend go away!