Vettel has become bigger than sport: it's F1 history we want to carry

Sebastian Vettel has decided to create a social media profile to announce that he will retire at the end of the 2022 F1 season. The four-time world champion has stated that although he still has enormous passion for the sport, there are other things he wants to do in life, especially with his family. Seb is looking to spend more time with his three daughters and his wife.

The German leaves F1 with impressive numbers: in 15 years he has won four world titles, all for Red Bull, as well as 53 wins, 122 podiums, 57 poles, 38 fastest laps, and 3,076 points. "I've had the privilege of working with many great people in Formula One over the past 15 years - it's too many people to mention and thank," Vettel said.

"The decision to retire was a difficult one to make, and I spent a lot of time thinking about it. At the end of the year, I want to spend more time thinking about what I will do next. It is very clear to me that, being a father, I want to spend more time with my family. But today is not the time to say goodbye. Instead, it is time to say thank you - to everyone - especially to the fans, without whom the passionate support for Formula 1 would not exist," he added.

In light of the 35-year-old driver's decision, Victor Martins analyzed Vettel's career and legacy in Formula 1: "He was formidable in many moments and is one of the greatest in the history of F1, although many people insist on regarding him as lesser, precisely because of the last few years, years in which he didn't win any titles. The Ferrari seasons, that failure in Germany in 2018, which he couldn't recover from and ended up losing the title. But the fact is that Vettel is much bigger today."

"Sebastian is a smart guy. Who has always cared about the world of F1 and also outside F1, above all," he added.