Four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel has announced that he will retire from Formula 1 at the conclusion of the 2022 season.
The 35-year-old German said that he would like to “take more time to reflect on what I will focus on next” after having been married three years ago, Vettel says he would like to spend more time with his family. Vettel has also become more vocal in recent years regarding worldwide issues such as climate change and racial and gender inequalities and indicated that these might also be future priorities.
Barring a phenomenal second half of the current F1 season, Vettel will be departing F1 with 53 race wins and four world titles – putting him behind only Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio – while only Hamilton and Schumacher have more total race wins.
Vettel won all four of those F1 drivers’ titles with Red Bull from 2010 to 2013, but was unable to replicate those efforts after a switch to Ferrari from 2014-2020 and has spent the final two years of his F1 racing life with Aston Martin.
Aston Martin had indicated that they had wanted to keep Vettel on for next season, but it was Vettel who decided he wanted to step away from the sport.
Aston Martin have made no announcement about a replacement for Vettel, who has also been a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association for several years.