In a surprising turn of events, Sebastian Vettel has decided to retire from Formula 1, which would keep him falling short of a record.
Sebastian Vettel has decided to retire from Formula 1 at the end of this season. This shocked the F1 fans who adored the German race driver for years.
In his career, spanning 15 years, Vettel has become the third most successful F1 driver statistically in the sport’s history. He has won four titles, and 53 Grand Prix wins.
But after the 2022 calendar year, Vettel would be leaving the sport. According to his statement, much of his decision is based on giving time to his family and the environmental concerns he has been having.
His profession has also made him admit that he’s in a constant dilemma as an F1 driver. And just to announce his decision, Vettel, for the first time, made a social media account. In just a few hours, the German amassed over half a million followers on Instagram.
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Sebastian Vettel won’t match the record held by his contemporaries
Lewis Hamilton became the latest driver to breach the 300 race starts mark. The list also includes the veterans like Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher.
However, Vettel, who has given over 15 years to this sport, won’t be celebrating such a record. In fact, he will be falling short by one race to get the precise mark of 300 race starts.
Currently, Vettel holds 289 race starts in his bag, and with only 10 races in 2022, he will be missing on that prestigious veterans’ list. The 34-year-old race driver’s decision wasn’t entirely unprecedented, as he had earlier given hints about his potential retirement from F1.
“I’m between carrying on (in F1) or becoming Instagram and YouTube person”
Sebastian Vettel DON’T YOU DARE DO THIS TO US 💔 pic.twitter.com/JX1oaTtZM4
— out of context Sebastian Vettel (@ocsebvettel) July 28, 2022
Coming to his career, he was not on the top of the grid with Aston Martin. But he was still giving in some compelling performances, and the Silverstone-based team was ready to extend their alliance with him. But Vettel surely thought otherwise.
Also read: Sebastian Vettel accuses his $50 Million worth teammate of brake testing at Paul Ricard