Sebastian Vettel, a four-time world champion, has declared his retirement from Formula One at the end of the year.

Vettel revealed the news on Thursday via an Instagram account. Prior to the announcement, the German driver had never had a social media presence in his F1 career.

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The German, who made his racing debut with BMW Sauber in the 2007 US Grand Prix, announced the news on his freshly launched Instagram account, his first dive into social media.

“I have had the privilege of working with many fantastic people in Formula 1 over the past 15 years – there are far too many to mention and thank,” said Vettel. “Over the past two years I have been an Aston Martin driver – and although our results have not been as good as we had hoped, it is very clear to me that everything is being put together that a team needs to race at the very highest level for years to come,” Vettel says in the video.

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“I have really enjoyed working with such a great bunch of people. Everyone – Lawrence [Stroll], Lance [Stroll], Martin [Whitmarsh], Mike [Krack], 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,” he claims, adding, “I hope that the work I did last year and am continuing to do this year will be helpful in the development of a team that will win in the future, and I will work as hard as I can between now and the end of the year with that goal in mind, giving as always my best in the last 10 races.”

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“The decision to retire has been a difficult one for me to take, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about it; at the end of the year I want to take some more time to reflect on what I will focus on next; it is very clear to me that, being a father, I want to spend more time with my family,” the 35-year-old clarified.

“But today is not about saying goodbye. Rather, it is about saying thank you – to everyone – not least to the fans, without whose passionate support Formula 1 could not exist,” he concluded the video statement.

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Vettel, who races with Lance Stroll, revealed ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix that this would be his 15th and final full season in Formula 1.

Vettel won all four of his crowns with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013, and he is third all-time in Grand Prix victories with 53.

A six-year run with Ferrari did not result in a much-coveted fifth title, and he has only one podium during his one-and-a-half-year deal with Aston Martin, which expires at the close of 2022.