Vettel announces Formula 1 retirement

On Thursday morning, a social media-averse driver took to his Instagram profile to announce that he’s retiring. Sebastian Vettel will not be a Formula 1 driver in 2023. November’s Abu Dhabi GP will be the last race for Seb - Heppenheim’s finest, son of a carpenter, four-time world champion, the man who led the perfect Red Bull machine to glory for four consecutive years between 2010 and 2013, who precociously broke all records during the early part of his career. He is leaving because racing is “only a part” of his life, because he is “father and husband” and because he has “many other concerns outside of competition”. He expressed his motives carefully and succinctly in a video which he published today.

Barring any surprises, Vettel will leave with 53 victories in F1. He is the third driver in the all-time ranking behind Lewis Hamilton (103) and Michael Schumacher (91). In terms of titles, only the two seven-time champions and Juan Manuel Fangio surpass him. He is level with Alain Prost and ahead of legends such as Ayrton Senna and Jackie Stewart. His track record, with 57 pole positions and 122 podium finishes in 16 seasons, is at the top of the category.

He made his debut with BMW Sauber in 2007, won his first race with Toro Rosso at Monza 2008, in the rain, and is still the youngest champion in history at Abu Dhabi winning in 2010 aged 23 years, 4 months and 11 days.

At Red Bull, he fought until the last lap for two of his titles, 2010 and 2012, against the best Alonso at Ferrari. In 2011 and 2013, he was unopposed. The hybrid era led him to seek a change of scenery as the star of Maranello, with whom he achieved 14 wins and fought for two championships in 2017 and 2018. In both, he suffered dips in the summer against Hamilton’s Mercedes, with some key errors that marred his perfect resume. He joined Scuderia to replace a Spaniard, Fernando, and left it in 2021 to make way for another, Sainz. His last victory, the 2019 Singapore GP ahead of Leclerc, whom he beat with a spectacular overcut. In these last two campaigns he has been discreet in the Aston Martin, a mid-range car that still took him to the podium in Azerbaijan 2021.

“Next to racing I have grown a family and I love being around them. I have grown other interests outside Formula 1. My passion for racing and Formula One comes with lots of time spent away from them and takes a lot of energy. “Committing to my passion the way I did and the way I think it is right does no longer go side by side with my wish to be a great father and husband,” Vettel explained in an official statement. “I will give my best in the next ten races. The decision to retire has been difficult for me, at the end of the year I will reflect on what will be next but I am clear that I want to spend more time with my family. It’s not a farewell, it’s a thank you to everyone. Above all to the fans, without whom Formula 1 would not exist”.

Vacancy at Aston Martin

For the 2023 grid, there will be a noticeable absentee - just a few days ago Sebastian himself commented that he wanted to continue competing, that it was his passion. It will be interesting to see who Lawrence Stroll bring in to Aston Martin to replace him. The British firm’s pedigree will be a determining factor even if the results have yet to arrive. Owner Stoll was close to Alonso for a while, although the logical outcome would be for him to join Alpine. Whatever happnes, next year Formula 1 will have one less champion among its drivers.