For the 2022 Abu Dhabi GP, Charles Leclerc will be wearing a special tribute helmet for his former teammate Sebastian Vettel. This is Leclerc’s way of expressing gratitude to the former 4-time World Champion who will be retiring at the end of the season.
Charles and Seb spent a season together at Ferrari. And the youngster previously featured a tribute helmet for Vettel on the occasion of his final race with Ferrari at the 2020 Abu Dhabi GP.
Seb and Charles exchanged their helmets with the German even penning a heartfelt note to the young Monegasque. The note read, “To Charles, you are the most talented driver I came across in 15 years of F1. Don’t waste it.”
Leclerc has often cited Seb as one of his positive influences in the sport. And as a tribute to one of F1’s greatest drivers, Leclerc will be featuring a special helmet design for the 35-year-old.
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“It was great to have a teammate like Vettel,” says Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel spent time together as teammates at Ferrari for the 2019 season. This was Leclerc’s first season in Red while Vettel’s last before he made the move to Aston Martin.
Leclerc has often stated that Vettel had a great influence on him. While the Monegasque was a rookie in the Ferrari garage, his experienced teammate guided him and inspired him with his strong work ethic.
Leclerc said, “Seb is a legend for the results he’s obtained, but he is also a decent person. He helped me in difficult moments, it does not happen often between teammates.”
He added, “I learned a lot of things from him. Especially when I was still very young, it was good to have an experienced driver like Seb by my side.”
Sebastian Vettel to retire from F1
The 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be the final race for Sebastian Vettel in the sport. The German will retire from the sport with his aim to spend more time with his family and work on other environmental initiatives.
Vettel will go down in history as one of the finest racers in the sport. He debuted in F1 at the 2007 United States Grand Prix with BMW and the rest is history.
He joined Red Bull in 2009 after a great season with Toro Rosso, where he secured his first race win at Monza. With Red Bull, he would enjoy his best years and was crowned the youngest World Champion in the sport.
It was Vettel’s dream to race for Ferrari like his childhood hero Michael Schumacher. He spent 6 seasons with the team from 2015 to 2020 and claimed 14 race wins with the Italian outfit.
Vettel would retire with Aston Martin after spending 15 years in the sport. He ends an illustrious career with 53 race wins, 122 podiums and 4-World Championship titles.
