Vettel retires from Formula 1 “to spend more time with my family”

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has confirmed that he will end his career at the end of this season.

Questions around the German’s future have circulated around the Formula 1 paddock for some time now, following a difficult start to the new era of the sport for Aston Martin.

Now, in the build-up to the Hungarian Grand Prix, it has been announced that 2022 will be the 53-time Grand Prix winner’s final season in F1.

Speaking about his retirement, he said:

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

“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 today that, being a father, I want to spend more time with my family.”

But the German hopes that his past two seasons will aid his team in their future championship hopes. He said:

“Over the past two years I have been an Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team driver – and, although our results have not been as good as we had hoped, it is very clear that everything is being put together that a team needs to race at the very highest level for years to come.

“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.”

One of the most successful drivers in the sport’s history, Vettel made his debut in 2007, standing in for BMW Sauber driver Robert Kubica after the Polish driver’s horrid accident in Canada.

Following this, the German would move to Toro Rosso, winning the 2008 Italian Grand Prix before making the jump to Red Bull Racing in 2009.

After being beaten by Jenson Button and Brawn GP that year, Vettel would go on to take four back-to-back championships between 2010 and 2013, dominating both the 2011 and 2013 seasons respectively.

However, after a poor 2014 season, the four-time champion would achieve his life-long ambition and join Scuderia Ferrari for 2015, winning three races in his first year in red.

Unfortunately for Vettel, he would be unable to emulate his hero Michael Schumacher in winning a championship for Ferrari, with two title battles in 2017 and 2018 ending in defeat to Sir Lewis Hamilton.

Following this, his final two seasons at Maranello would see Vettel slowly overtaken by Charles Leclerc, joining Aston Martin F1 Team for the 2021 and 2022 campaigns.

Despite promise, the move has only yielded one podium so far, following his disqualification at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix. Now, following these difficult years, Vettel has deemed it time to retire.

Vettel has gone through the highs and lows of a wonderful career, and although it has not ended in the way he probably imagined, with 53 race wins and four championships, he will go down as one of the greatest to step into a Formula 1 car.

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