Sebastian Vettel announced on Thursday that he will retire from Formula One at the end of 2022.

The four-time world champion wrote on Instagram– “I hereby announce my retirement from F1 by the end of the 2022 season. Probably I should start with a long list of people to thank now, but I feel it is more important to explain the reasons behind my decision.

I love this sport. It has been central to my life since I can remember, but as much as there is life on track, there is my life off track too. Being a racing driver has never been my sole identity. I very much believe in identity: by who we are and how we treat others, rather than what we do.”

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Vettel is a 35-year-old German racing driver who drives for Aston Martin in Formula One after previously driving for BMW Sauber, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, and Ferrari.

Vettel is one of the most successful drivers in Formula One history, having won four World Drivers’ Championships in a row from 2010 to 2013.

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Vettel is Formula One‘s youngest World Champion, he also has the third-most race victories (53) and podium finishes (122), as well as the fourth-most pole positions (57).

Vettel was born in Heppenheim, West Germany, on July 3, 1987, to Norbert and Heike Vettel. He has a racing driver younger brother, Fabian, and two older sisters, Melanie, a dental technician, and Stefanie, a physiotherapist for disabled children.

Vettel began karting when he was three years old and began racing in kart series when he was eight years old in 1995. In 1998, he was accepted into the Red Bull Junior Team and went on to win several titles, including the Junior Monaco Kart Cup in 2001. In 2003, Vettel was promoted to open-wheel cars and was given the opportunity to test a Reynard Motorsport Champ Car in a two-day private test at the Homestead road course by Derrick Walker. He won the 2004 Formula BMW ADAC championship with 18 victories from 20 races a year later.

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In early 2019, Vettel married childhood friend Hanna Prater in a private ceremony.

They have three children. Their first child, Emilie, was born on January 12, 2014. Hanna also had a second daughter, Mathilda, in September 2015, and a third child was born in 2019.