Sebastian Vettel has announced that he will retire at the end of the season. AFP photo.
the German pilot Sebastian Vettel, four consecutive Formula 1 world championHe will retire at the end of this season, his current squad, Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant, announced Thursday.
“The decision to retire was difficult to make and I spent a lot of time thinking about it, at the end of the year I want to take a little more time to reflect on what I will do next, I am very clear that as a father I want to spend more time with my family, ”Vettel said in the team’s statement.
“For the past two years I have been a driver for the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One team,” he added, “and even though our results have not been as good as we expected, I am very clear that all a team needs is be put together. “
“But today it’s not about saying goodbye. It’s about saying thank you, to everyone, especially the fans, without whose passionate support Formula 1 could not exist,” concluded Vettel.
Mike Krack, team principal, highlighted the qualities of the German: “Sebastian is a great driver, fast, intelligent and strategic, and obviously we will miss these qualities. However, we have all learned from him and the knowledge we have gained from working with him will continue to benefit our team long after he is gone. “
The 35-year-old German driver occupies the third place in the list of winners of all-time Grand Prix, with 53 wins, only behind Lewis Hamilton (103) and Michael Schumacher (91).
His best moments were when he was inside Red Bullteam with which he was champion four times in a row: 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
He was at Ferrari from 2015 to 2020 and last year signed for Aston Martin without winning a race since.
Vettel races with Red Bull in his glorious moments. Photo: Reuters
The decision on the withdrawal was not sudden. Vettel himself had already considered this possibility in the past.
In September 2020, the F1 season was still on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic when Ferrari announced that Carlos Sainz would be Charles Leclerc’s partner from 2021.
When racing resumed in Austria, Vettel’s word was the most sought after and his future was filled with speculation until Racing Point – later called Aston Martin – confirmed that the German would replace Sergio Checo Pérez.
“Yes, I was thinking of retiring. And quite often,” the four-time world champion replied in an interview. “Retirement was a thought, stop and do something else. But I’m curious to see what I can give in a new project. I’m curious to know,” he claimed at the time.
In July of last year Vettel made a great gesture on the traditional Silverstone circuit giving him a kind of homage to the late Carlos Reutemann in the free practice sessions of the British Grand Prix.
The detail of the helmet that Sebastian Vettel used to pay homage to Carlos Reutemann at Silverstone.
The pilot wore a special helmet who recalled the Argentine, who died on 7 July 2021 in Santa Fe, at the age of 79, the victim of a digestive haemorrhage that forced him to spend two months in hospital until his death.
In Vettel’s helmet the phrase was observed “Goodbye Carlo”accompanied by the Argentine flag and the characteristic design that the pilot used on the head protection element in the 70s and 80s.
His numbers in F1
Vettel’s celebration of winning his fourth consecutive F1 title. Photo: EFE
- World champion 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
- GP played: 289
- Teams: BMW-Sauber (August 2006-July 2007), Toro Rosso (August 2007-2008), Red Bull (2009-2014), Ferrari (2015-2020), Aston Martin (from 2021)
- Debut: Turkish GP in August 2006
- Race debut: USA 2007 (8th)
- First victory: Italy 2008
- Last win: Singapore 2019
- Wins: 53
- Podiums (including wins): 122
- Pole position: 57
- Fastest laps: 38
- Added points: 3.076
- Rankings in the World Drivers’ Championship: 1st (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013), 2nd (2009, 2017, 2018), 3rd (2015), 4th (2016), 5th (2014, 2019), 8th (2008), 12 (2021), 13 (2020), 14 (2007, 2022, as of July 28)
Source: Clarin
