As Sebastian Vettel announced that he will retire at the end of the 2020 Formula One season, motorsports fans were handed a shock. Vettel, who has won four world championship titles in his career, joined Aston Martin from Ferrari in 2021 and soon became a favourite at the pitstop.

As he decided to call it a day while thanking everyone associated with the Aston Martin team to make him feel welcome and alive, his team also gave him a warm farewell that included their executive chairman to the team principal.

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“I have really enjoyed working with such a great bunch of people. Everyone – Lawrence, Lance, Martin, Mike, the senior managers, the engineers, the mechanics and the rest of the team – is ambitious, capable, expert, committed and friendly, and I wish them all well,” Vettel said in a statement released by the Aston Martin F1 team.

Vettel, who is known to be one of the fan favourites of his generation, has also been close to the pitstop crew everywhere he has gone. It was not different at Aston Martin as well, meanwhile, he also thanked the higher officials such as executive chairman Lawrence Stroll, his son and Vettel’s teammate Lance Stroll along with others for their support.

“I want to thank Sebastian from the bottom of my heart for the great work that he has done for Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One™ Team over the past year and a half,” Lawrence Stroll said.

The executive chairman also revealed that the team wanted him to continue with them in the upcoming year, but they respect his decision.

The 63-year-old also dubbed Vettel as one of the ‘all-time greats of Formula One’, and said his experience has been valuable for his team.

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“He has driven some fantastic races for us, and, behind the scenes, his experience and expertise with our engineers have been extremely valuable,” he added.

Stroll also revealed that Sebastian Vettel will continue to race with Aston Martin, including at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, to complete his 300th GP entry, following which he will receive a grand farewell from them.

Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack also had some kind words for the Formula One great. He called Vettel as a ‘superb driver’ and said the team will be missing his quality at the pitstop. Krack also said that the entire team learned from Vettel’s expertise, and the German will be one of the ‘architects’ of their success in the future.