With his new Instagram account, Sebastian Vettel makes Formula 1 fans curious – and announces that he is ending his career. As a four-time world champion, he is one of the most successful drivers in the history of the sport. At 35, he is now retiring at the end of this season.
“I hereby announce that I will retire from Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season.” It is the first sentence of a detailed video that Sebastian Vettel publishes on his Instagram account at 12 noon sharp. This account is only a few hours old, but it is already followed by more than 500,000 people. And witness the 35-year-old announce that his impressive career in Formula 1 will be over in a few months. The season at Aston Martin, his 16th in motorsport’s premier class, is his last.
The four-time world champion and 53-time Grand Prix winner says he now has a list of people to thank for their support throughout his career. “But I feel like it’s more important to explain why I made that choice.” Although he loves motorsport, it has been “a central part of my life since I can remember”. But there is also life off the track. “I believe that [a person’s] identity is not derived from what we do, but from who we are and how we treat other people.”
Then Vettel asks rhetorically: “Who am I?” and gives the answer immediately afterwards: “I’m Sebastian, father of three children and husband of an amazing woman. I’m curious and I’m easily attracted to passionate and capable people. I’m obsessed with achieving perfection. I’m tolerant and have the feeling that we all have the same right to life, no matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we love.” He reveals his favorite color (“blue”), that he likes the smell of fresh bread, that he believes in change and that every small step makes a difference.
“I’ve developed interests outside of Formula 1,” Vettel continues: “My passion for racing and Formula 1 means I don’t have enough time for it and it takes a lot of energy.” The strenuous everyday life as a Formula 1 driver “no longer fits in with my desire to be a good father and husband”. The energy it takes to become one with the car and the team, “to pursue perfection requires focus and commitment.” His goals have shifted from “winning races and chasing world titles” to “watching my kids grow up, instilling my values, helping them up when they fall, listening to them when they need me, no more ‘up to say goodbye’, but to be able to learn from them”.
