Sebastian Vettel, a four-time world champion, will retire from Formula 1 at the conclusion of this year.
The 35-year-old said he had “difficult” and that the decision had been “spent a lot of time thinking about it”
At the end of the year, the German stated that he would “take more time to reflect on what I will focus on next” He declared that prioritising more time with his family was important.
Vettel will retire from racing as one of the most accomplished athletes in history.
Only Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, and Juan Manuel Fangio have more world championships under their belts than Sebastian Vettel, and only those three athletes have more race victories than his 53.
He added: “Today is not about saying goodbye. Rather, it is about saying thank you – to everyone – not least to the fans, without whose passionate support F1 could not exist.”
Vettel, who won four consecutive drivers’ championships with Red Bull from 2010 to 2013, said he had “really enjoyed” his time with Aston Martin in 2021 and 2022, adding, “Although our results have not been as good as we had hoped, it is very clear to me that everything 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, 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.”
