Four titles, a battle with the environment and a rider beloved by all. That’s Sebastian Vettel

When the news of the end of Sebastian Vettel’s career came from the lips of many, a sad look appeared on many faces. Not only is the four-time world champion leaving the queen of motorsport, but also the tactician, firefighter, father and environmentalist. The end of a man who has been prominently associated with the big stables and the Schumacher family.

It all started innocently enough. Vettel reopened his Instragram account and fans were eager to hear about his life. But instead they saw a four-minute monologue, the subject of which was set by one of the first sentences. “I am announcing that I am ending my Formula 1 career at the end of the 2022 season. ”

Sebastian Vettel’s career has been full of success and records. The German racer first took to the F1 cockpit in 2006, then as a BMW test driver. A year later, he was in the cockpit of the Torro Rosso (today’s Alpha Tauri – ed.).

Then only for part of the season, in 2008 he was already a permanent pilot of the team. Moreover, the first winning moment of Vettel’s career came at Monza in Italy. The German absolutely shocked the formula world and recorded one of his 53 wins. He followed up his first victory with the same surprise last year by Pierre Gasly. The Frenchman also pulled off a shock in the colours of Alpha Tauri.

After a decent 2008 season, Red Bull boss Christian Horner had already decided to promote the young German to Red Bull. Three wins and a second place in the Drivers’ Cup heralded the qualities of the racer, who a year later became the youngest ever world champion.

One of his three wins in his first season with Red Bull came in his F1 debut in Abu Dhabi. And when he returned under the night race spotlight a year later, he was in a different position. This time, he was fighting for the world championship. And in a contest against Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, he was ultimately the most successful after winning.

In the race, he erased a 15-point lead over Fernando Alonso and became the youngest ever world champion at the age of 23 years and 133 days. Max Verstappen could have come close to him recently, but he had to wait a year longer for his title.

After 2010, the situation in the queen of motorsport changed to the beauty of Sebastian Vettel. The sometimes almost selfish German won the championship in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Red Bull driver managed to win his second title with just four races to go. He also claimed a record 15th pole position of the year in Brazil.

2012 once again brought drama right up to the final laps. He was spun out on the first lap of the race in Brazil, yet even with the rain he managed to get up to sixth place and became a three-time world champion. A year later, however, he was again able to take the title with an early lead. He added a fourth notch at the VC of India.

Vettel’s last season in Red Bull colours was one of the worst of his career. He failed to win a race for the first time since 2007, the first time that has happened to the defending champion since the 1998 season. Back then, that unlucky man was Jacques Villeneuve.

And the German started looking for a replacement after a poor performance. That ended up being Ferrari, where Vettel had a bit of a stampede. But it must be said that the Italian stable supplied him with a solid car. Right away in 2015, he won races in Malaysia, Hungary and Singapore, and even held himself as a title contender for a long time.

The second year in the red car didn’t bring the German a single win and only a fourth place in the Individual Cup. The next two seasons, however, were about something else. Vettel fought for the title both years. But in 2018, arguably the definitive turning point in his career came.

For on the eleventh lap of the season, at the home grand prix, Vettel crashed out of first place. In the remaining ten races, the German couldn’t win once more and had to swallow up a fifth title for Lewis Hamilton.

In 2019, moreover, the talented Charles Leclerc joined the team, which from the beginning created pressure on the experienced teammate. The German even had a collision with his teammate in Brazil, which only deepened Ferrari’s crisis at the time, which was thought to be linked to the Maranello team’s illegal engine.

Until the tragic 2020 season ended with Vettel finishing thirteenth in the championship and being replaced by Carlos Sainz. There was eventually a seat for the four-time world champion at Aston Martin, which had been converted from Racing Point, and its owner Lawrence Stroll had no small ambitions.

However, they did not bring the AM marque back to the F1 series and the Sebastian Vettel, Lance Stroll pairing struggled. The German finished on the podium twice, but was disqualified once for lack of fuel after the race. The only “crate” fell to the race in Azerbaijan, where the 35-year-old driver has regularly done well.

This year, Vettel began the season in front of the TV when he tested positive for coronavirus. In the remaining nine races he has been on points just four times and is only 14th. And the performance of the green monoposto does not bode well for a significant improvement.

Vettel holds many records in the queen of motorsport. Apart from being the youngest world champion, he is also the leader in the number of races won in a season (13 in 2013, tied with Michael Schumacher), has the most races won in a row (9 in 2013) or is the youngest holder of pole position (VC of Italy 2008, 21 years and 72 days).

But there is also a curious record attached to the German racer. At the 2006 Turkish Grand Prix, when he was making his debut, he was given a penalty for speeding in the pits. Back then, he was in an F1 monoposto for exactly six seconds.

Vettel is known for his off-track activities as well. His main theme was environmental protection, which was reflected in Vettel’s helmets, his statements and so on. Activities like cleaning the stands and bees on his helmet are not something we see in F1 anymore.

Now the Aston Martin driver can still concentrate on raising young Mick Schumacher, giving him advice in the same way that the famous Michael Schumacher once did for him. The role of mentor is bearing fruit, with young Schumacher bringing home his first points in this year’s British GP.

Hated by many at the start, now loved by virtually everyone. This is Sebastian Vettel, the man who made much of Red Bull’s history, only to see his career decline at Ferrari and taste a bitter end at Aston Martin. But his story is sure to inspire many, and so there is only one thing to say. Thank you. For everything this man has done for the queen of motorsport.

Source