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Four-time F1 champ Sebastian Vettel to retire
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel plans to retire from Formula One at the end of the 2022 season.
Vettel, who has 53 career wins, plans to remain in his Aston Martin for the remainder of the current schedule before ending his 15-year driving career.
The 35-year-old ranks third in career wins behind Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.
"The decision to retire has been a difficult one for me to take, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about it," Vettel said. "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."
Vettel is also a two-time runner up -- both times to Schumacher -- and hasn't claimed a world title since leaving Red Bull.
After winning four straight titles with Red Bull, Vettel spent six seasons with Ferrari, and had amassed 121 career podiums when he left the team in 2015.
Aston Martin executive chairman Lawrence Stroll said he tried to convince Vettel to remain with the team in 2023, but "in the end he has done what he feels is right for himself and his family, and of course, we respect that."
With Aston Martin, Vettel has reached the podium only once. He finished second at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
"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," said Vettel.
"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."
In an Instagram post, Vettel explained his decision to retire, saying his "goals have shifted" from winning races and fighting championships to seeing his children grow, being there for them, and learning from them.
According to The Guardian, "[Vettel's] concerns over the climate emergency and F1’s role as a contributor to the problem played a part in his decision-making process."
“Obviously, travelling the world, racing cars and burning resources, literally, are things that I cannot look away from,” he said. “Once I think you see these things and you are aware, I don’t think you can really unsee it. When it comes to the climate crisis, there is no way that F1 or any sport or business can avoid it, because it impacts all of us. Maybe it’ll be pushed back or be more quiet, but it’s only a matter of time – that we don’t have.”
In the Instagram video, Vettel said, "I feel we live in very decisive times. And how we all shape these next years will determine our lives," he said.
"My passion comes with certain aspects that I have learned to dislike. They might be solved in the future but they will to apply that change has to grow much much stronger and has to be leading to action today. Talk is not enough, we cannot afford to wait. There is no alternative. The race is underway," he continued.
Barring unexpected absences from the F1 schedule the rest of the season, Vettel would make his 300th career start — and be the seventh driver to hit that mark — at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November. — Field Level Media/Reuters
