Yahoo Autos F1 World Reacts to Sebastian Vettel's Surprise Retirement at Age 35
On Thursday, Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement from Formula 1, effective at the end of the current season.
The 35-year-old Vettel says he has new challenges to face and new goals to reach.
"I’m sure he will find other things that will make him happy in a different way," says former teammate and current Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.
Four-time Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel announced today in Hungary that he's decided 2022 will be his 16th and final season in Formula 1.
The 35-year-old Vettel says he has new challenges to face and new goals to reach.
“Who am I? I’m Sebastian, father of three children and husband to a wonderful woman," Vettel posted on social media Thursday in announcing his retirement. "I am curious and easily fascinated by passionate or skilled people. I am obsessed with perfection.
CLICK HERE TO READ VETTEL'S STATEMENT
“I am tolerant and feel like we all have the same rights to live, no matter what we look like, where we come from, and who we love. I love being outside, I love nature and its wonders. I’m stubborn and impatient, I can be really annoying. I like to make people laugh, I like chocolate and the smell of fresh bread. My favorite color is blue."
Many in and around the Formula 1 paddock today are talking about what it will be like on the F1 grid next year without Vettel. Here's what they're saying:
Lewis Hamilton
Six-time Formula 1 champion
“My first feeling is it’s sad to see he’s stopping. I’ve not had a lot of time to think about all the journey we’ve been through together. When I talk about the journey that I’ve felt I’ve experienced in this sport and often feeling that it’s been relatively lonely, he’s one of the few people that’s made it not feel lonely. He stood by me through a lot of things.
"I always remember 2007, a press conference in Magny-Cours and him being very outspoken in a drivers’ briefing, and I knew then he would be a powerful figure in the sport. Then seeing his success and seeing that he puts others before himself… he’s been so brave in speaking out and standing for what he believes in.
"We talk about legends in our sport… I don’t really love that name, that title, to be honest, but I think he’s one of the greatest people we’ve seen in this sport and we need more like him. Sad because I’ve lost an ally in this side of the sport on the grid, but I know that outside he will be doing great things, and we will always remain friends and I hope there are other things we get to do together outside.
"On the racing part of things, he was incredibly quick, very, very intelligent. Very good engineer I think, very, very precise on track. Just a great all-round competitor. Very fair but also very strong, firm on track. He’s never been someone to blame other people for mistakes. He would always put his hand up and say it was his fault, which I always thought was honorable. Naturally, I think when you’re focused on winning championships and stuff… when we were younger, we didn’t have time to stop and talk about what we do in our own personal lives or things we cared about.
"Over time, we’ve started to see one another take those brave steps and standing up for things we believe in and been able to support each other. He’s been so supportive to me and I’d like to think I’ve supported him also. I’ve come to realize we have a lot more in common than just the driving passion. It’s really kind of been him standing out into the uncomfortable light and trying to do something with the platform that we have and I think that’s why for me he’s very much unlike any other drivers that have been here, past or present.”
Charles Leclerc
Vettel's teammate at Ferrari, 2019-20
“It’s sad, it’s sad for me. Maybe for him he’s much happier in the place he’s going now. Obviously it’s going to be strange not to see Seb inside the paddock. I’ve learned so much driving with him and he’s always been super nice with me. I’ll definitely miss Seb in the paddock, I wish him all the best.
"I’m sure he will find other things that will make him happy in a different way. There are lots of moments (with Seb), but definitely not on-track moments. I think it’s just simpler moments we’ve had at the factory and the way also our relationship evolved throughout the years. I arrived in the first year and I was super impressed. I was probably very weird to him—I was just shy and didn’t know what to say with him. But now he’s a friend and he always texts me—he did it after Sunday (in France) and always tries to make me feel better when I am going through a tough time. It’s nice to see how much I’ve grown since I first met him.”
Fernando Alonso
Two-time F1 champion
“We will miss him after so many years, sharing the track together, good fights. Obviously in all his championships I was somehow in there as well. He’s a great champion and also a great man, with very strong values, lovely family. That is the decision also, into this, I heard (it’s about) his family. I saw them in Austria—they were in the same hotel. They seemed very happy, a very cute family. I think it’s going to be good fun for him. So wishing him the best and hopefully he’s around in the paddock in the future.”
