Sebastian Vettel to leave Formula 1 after this year

Like a bolt from the blue, Sebastian Vettel comes to his brand new official Instagram account with the news that he will stop as a Formula 1 driver after this season. Vettel (35) indicates in a video message that he mainly wants to focus more on his family. The German driver is married with three children and wants to spend more time with them. He also says in somewhat cryptic terms that climate change is also moving him to leave F1. Vettel has often hinted that he is increasingly working on this and it bothers him how many emissions his trips for Formula 1 but also the sport itself cause.

At the end of this year, a Formula 1 career that will be looked back on for a long time will come to an end. Sebastian Vettel has made history in the sport. Not only is he one of the most successful F1 drivers of all time with his four world titles and 53 victories, he was also the youngest ever winner in 2007 with his first GP win and he is still regarded as the youngest world champion ever.

Vettel achieved his greatest success with the Formula 1 team of Red Bull Racing, with which he became champion four years in a row. This was followed by a period of mixed success with the Ferrari team, where Vettel pursued his dream of becoming champion with that team, just like idol Michael Schumacher. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out and in 2020 he switched to the Aston Martin team. Although he occasionally shows what he has to offer, the results are still only a shadow of what Vettel achieved earlier.

Whether we will ever see Vettel back in racing is still very much the question. He indicates that he now wants to focus on ‘other interests’ than F1, mainly in the private field. It is not yet known who will replace him at the Aston Martin Formula 1 team.