Sebastian Vettel became one of the all-time greats in F1 during his Red Bull stint but his career since leaving them hasn’t been the same. An underwhelming Ferrari stint followed by a difficult two-year period at Aston Martin wasted away a lot of his prime years. In 2022, he announced that he didn’t want to continue in the sport post the current campaign.
Watching Vettel leave was sad for the entire F1 community and tributes poured in from all over ahead and after the season finale in Abu Dhabi GP. The four-time World Champion bowed out as one of the most successful drivers of all time.
Vettel about Michael Schumacher: ‘He was able to drive the red car faster than everyone else and to get the most out of every race. He was still able to get extra performance like I haven’t seen anyone else do. And that for many years”. @Sportbuzzer #F1
— #DankeSeb ♡ (@sebvettelnews) January 2, 2021
However, some recent reports have claimed that the German driver retired only because Aston Martin chose to sack him. According to Business F1, Vettel’s dismissal from Aston Martin was similar to Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari exit.
Also read: “I’m sure I’ll be back”: Sebastian Vettel on his future with Formula 1
How was Sebastian Vettel retiring similar to Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari exit?
Schumacher is arguably one of the best drivers of all time. He won seven World Championships during his time in F1; five of those came with Ferrari. However, Schumacher, who was 37 in 2006 was considered to be a liability by Ferrari supremo Luca di Montezemolo.
Montezemolo decided to make the tough call and sack Schumacher, after which the legendary driver retired. Business F1 reported that Aston Martin Chief Executive Martin Whitmarsh too told Vettel that his contract wouldn’t be renewed. Instead of running after teams for seats for the 2023 season, Vettel made the decision to leave the sport altogether.
BREAKING: Sebastian Vettel has announced he will retire from F1 at the end of the 2022 season
4 world titles
53 race wins
122 podiums
1 phenomenal career#ThankYouSeb pic.twitter.com/K8BVXI6IAx— Formula 1 (@F1) July 28, 2022
A former F1 team principal also stated that Vettel knew how it felt like to be fired. “Sacking a legend is not a pleasant task. But Vettel has faced it before at Ferrari, so he will know the feeling.” Vettel’s dismissal, however, would have been different in the sense that Schumacher wasn’t used to seeing the exit door. Him being axed in 2006 was a completely new experience for him.
Also read: Toto Wolff admits interest in becoming team principal of Ferrari F1 team
Aston Martin let Vettel leave honorably
Vettel is a legend in F1, so Aston Martin did not want to make his sacking official and embarrass him. Instead, Whitmarsh asked the team’s PR boss Matt Bishop to disguise his dismissal as a retirement. The German driver along with the Silverstone based team announced to the world that he retire at the end of the year.
Bishop, who is an experienced public relations manager used his skills extensively to make it seem like Vettel chose to retire himself, so that Aston Martin would be spared of the backlash from the fans.
