Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel is retiring as a Formula 1 driver after the end of the current season. Things haven't been going well for the 35-year-old German for a long time.
Sebastian Vettel says the formula 1 at the end of the season Adieu
After more than a decade and a half, Sebastian Vettel has had enough of Formula 1. The four-time world champion will end his career after this season. The 35-year-old announced this before the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest. “The decision to resign was a difficult one for me and I've spent a lot of time thinking about it,” Vettel said, according to a statement from his Aston Martin team. “It's very clear to me that as a father I want to spend more time with my family.”
Four-time world champion, 53 Grand Prix successes
Vettel has been on top of the podium 53 times as a winner in Formula 1 races. The German driver had his best time at Red Bull with the four title triumphs in a row from 2010 to 2013. The “era” he hoped for at Ferrari – like his great idol Michael Schumacher – came to nothing, instead he was inglorious in 2020 Scuderia retired. After two years at Aston Martin, Vettel has had enough.
The father of three children has recently made more headlines with his political commitment – the fight for human rights and the environment – than with successes on the racetrack shone. Currently, Vettel is only 14th in the overall World Championship standings he has scored just 15 points in the previous twelve races. It's been a long time since his last win: On 22. Vettel won in Singapore on 1 September 2019.
Far up on the all-time list
Even though things have rarely gone smoothly for him in recent years, Vettel remains one of the most decorated drivers in the formula 1. In the current field, only Lewis Hamilton has won more world titles. Behind the Brit and Michael Schumacher (both 7) and the Spaniard Juan Manuel Fangio (5) follows Vettel in the all-time list of the best, together with Alain Prost in third place.