Four-time F1 world champion Vettel to retire at the end of 2022
Sebastian Vettel has announced his plan to retire from Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season.
The four-time F1 world champion revealed via his newly-launched Instagram account on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix that he would be walking away for the series at the end of the season.
In recent years, Vettel has become increasingly vocal about the importance of environmental and social issues around the world, and weighed heavily on the significance of these issues in his announcement video on Instagram.
The news is a major twist in the F1 driver market for next year, freeing up a seat with Aston Martin alongside Lance Stroll for 2023.
“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 in a statement released by Aston Martin.
“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 made his F1 debut at the 2007 United States Grand Prix in a one-off appearance for BMW before getting a mid-season promotion with Toro Rosso later in the year.
He became F1’s youngest-ever winner in 2008 with Toro Rosso before joining Red Bull for the following season, with whom he enjoyed the peak of his success winning the world championship each year between 2010 and 2013.
Vettel won all four of his F1 world titles with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Vettel joined Ferrari in 2015 and fought for the world title in 2017 and 2018, losing out to Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton on both occasions. He left Maranello at the end of 2020 to join Aston Martin, with whom he will see out his F1 career.
“I want to thank Sebastian from the bottom of my heart for the great work that he has done for Aston Martin over the past year and a half,” said Aston Martin executive chairman and team owner Lawrence Stroll.
“We made it clear to him that we wanted him to continue with us next year, but in the end he has done what he feels is right for himself and his family, and of course we respect that.
“He has driven some fantastic races for us, and, behind the scenes, his experience and expertise with our engineers have been extremely valuable.
“He is one of the all-time greats of Formula One, and it has been a privilege to have been able to work with him. He will continue to race for us up to and including the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will be his 300th grand prix entry. We will give him a fabulous send-off.”
Related video
Williams helping Albon to be "more of a fighter" off-track in F1
Sebastian Vettel's full statement on his retirement from F1
Alfa Romeo unveils new look for 2023 F1 car
The Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team has unveiled its new C43, the last Sauber-built car to carry the name of the Italian manufacturer.
Live: Follow the Alfa Romeo 2023 F1 car reveal
Alfa Romeo looks set to be the first team to reveal images of its actual 2023 Formula 1 car, during a launch event in Zurich on Tuesday.
Why physical fitness is an understimated challenge for IndyCar rookies
The lack of in-car physical fitness is an “underestimated” hurdle for an IndyCar Series rookie, according to Dale Coyne Racing's Indy Lights graduate Sting Ray Robb.
Bubba Wallace ‘got dumped’ by Austin Dillon in NASCAR Clash
Bubba Wallace says Austin Dillon “dumped” him out of second place in NASCAR’s chaotic Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday night.
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.