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Tributes Flood In From F1 Grid As Sebastian Vettel Announces Retirement

Tributes Flood In From F1 Grid As Sebastian Vettel Announces Retirement
Rory Cassidy
By Rory Cassidy
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Tributes have been paid to German driver Sebastian Vettel after he announced his intention to retire from the sport of Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season.

The 35-year-old won four successive Driver's Championships for Red Bull between 2010 and 2013 in a successful sixteen-year F1 career.

The German released a heartfelt statement earlier to explain his decision.

I have had the privilege of working with many fantastic people in Formula One over the past 15 years – there are far too many to mention and thank

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.

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 One could not exist.

Vettel currently sits in 12th position in the Driver's Championships ahead of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. For the past two years he has been driving for Aston Martin and only last week rumours were rife that he would join McLaren to replace Daniel Ricciardo.

Tributes paid to Sebastian Vettel ahead of retirement

Amongst the current drivers to pay tribute to Vettel today was seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. In 11 of their 16 seasons together on the grid, either Hamilton or Vettel has become world champion.

Teams and other F1 personalities have also paid tribute to the German.

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Vettel moved to Aston Martin when the team returned to racing for the first time in sixty years at the start of 2021 season. The British team have struggled for results since and Vettel has decided to step away from the sport rather than continue for another season.

“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 said.

“I have really enjoyed working with such a great bunch of people.

“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.”

Certainly the end of an era.

SEE ALSO: Sebastian Vettel Hilariously Breaks Silence On McLaren Rumours

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