Sebastian Vettel, a four-time F1 world champion, has announced that the current season will be his last one and that he would retire at the conclusion of 2022. The German won four straight championships with Red Bull Racing from 2010 to 2013. He left Red Bull to sign up for Ferrari in 2015. He now drives for Aston Martin.
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Vettel never had a social media presence, but on Thursday, he created one on Instagram. However, the 35-year-old’s first post turned out to be his retirement announcement.
Here’s a look at some of the reactions on social media to this announcement:
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In 2006, Vettel began his Formula One career as a test driver for BMW Sauber. He made his first participation in a race in 2007. Later that year, Vettel, a member of the Red Bull Junior Team, raced for Toro Rosso and was retained as a full-time driver for 2008. In 2009, Vettel received a promotion to Red Bull. From 2010 through 2013, Vettel won four straight championships with Red Bull, the first of which made him the youngest World Champion in the history of the sport. He also set records for the most consecutive race wins (9 wins), as well as the most race wins in a single season (13 wins). Vettel joined Ferrari in 2015. He finished second in both of the title races in 2017 and 2018, with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton as his closest rival. He left Ferrari to compete for Aston Martin in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
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The media drove comparisons between him and German legend Michael Schumacher. They often referred to Vettel as the ‘Baby Schumi’ especially after his stunning victory at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. He wasn’t just given this nickname because of his nationality; it was also a result of the way he drove, his focus, and his active participation in the engineering team’s operations. Vettel downplayed the similarity by declaring that he aspired to become the “New Vettel.”
However, the parallels were obvious. Similar to Schumacher, Vettel was raised in a small town with a regular upbringing. Both even participated in their first racing experience at the Kerpen karting track, which is close to Cologne and the Nürburgring.
