Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement from Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season, via a post on his brand new Instagram account. Aston Martin F1 driver posted a video in which he explains his departure.
In France, he explained that he was thinking about the future and possibly wanting to continue in the discipline, but the quadruple world champion finally decided to leave F1 at the end of his second season with Aston Martin.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with many fantastic people in Formula 1 over the past 15 years – there are far too many to mention and thank. Over the past two years I’ve driven the Aston Martin F1 team – and, although our results have not been as good as we had hoped, it is very clear to me that everything is in place that a team needs to race at the highest level to coming years.”
“I have really enjoyed working with such a great group of people. Everyone – Lawrence, Lance, Martin, Mike, senior managers, engineers, mechanics and the rest of the team – is ambitious, capable, expert , committed and friendly, and I wish them all the best of luck.”
“Hopefully the work I did last year and continue to do this year will be helpful in developing a winning team in the future, and I will work as hard as I can until then. end of the year with that goal in mind, as always giving my best in the last 10 races.”
“The decision to retire was hard for me 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 think about what I’m going to do. I’m going to focus next; it’s very clear to me that as a father I want to spend more time with my family. But today isn’t about saying goodbye. It’s about say thank you – to everyone – and especially to the fans, without whose passionate support Formula 1 could not exist.”
Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Matin, “would like to thank Sebastian from the bottom of my heart for the great job he has done for the Aston Martin F1 team over the past year and a half.”
“We made it clear to him that we wanted him to continue with us next year, but in the end he did what he thought was right for him and his family, and of course we respect that. He has has done fantastic races for us and behind the scenes his experience and expertise with our engineers has been invaluable.”
“He is one of the all-time greats in Formula 1, and it was 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 participation. We will bid him a fabulous farewell.”
It is certainly a disappointment for Mike Krack, the team’s CEO who still believed in the last hours that Vettel could continue.
“Sebastian is a superb driver – quick, smart and strategic – and of course we will miss those qualities. However, we have all learned from him, and the knowledge we gained working with him will continue to benefit our team long after. his departure. Aston Martin F1 is a big project, with unlimited potential, and the groundwork that Sebastian did last year, and continues to do this year, is crucial. When we become fully competitive – and we will – one of the architects of this future success will be Sebastian, and we will always be grateful to him.”