This morning we learnt that Sebastian Vettel is hanging up his gloves for good.
The man who brought us the finger, loudly singing over the radio and in more recent times contributed to F1 being more than just a sport, has decided that he’s had enough.
It’s no surprise really. This year’s Aston Martin hasn’t lived up to the promise and Vettel’s ambition to fight for wins seems as far away as it’s ever been.
It’s easy to forget that Vettel is two years younger than Lewis Hamilton and a whopping five years younger than Fernando Alonso. Some would argue that seems like a failure. However the German would disagree.
While others focus on trophies and acclaim, Vettel has seemed like a man content with the world around him in the last few seasons. Not scrambling to get those prolific Red Bull years back. Just enjoying the battles of the midfield and shining a light on the more important issues in his life – family, human rights and racial equality just to name a few.
Now the man who burst onto the scene after that famous day in Monza 2008 wants to explore other ambitions and why not, he’s done more than enough for this sport.
A new era of dominance
When we look back at the record books he will always be one of the most successful drivers the sport has ever seen.
This stemmed from one of the most meteoric rises in the sport from not just a driver but a team. Between last race in Abu Dhabi 2010 to the Brazilian GP in 2013 – his ninth consecutive victory that year – no one could touch Weltmeister on his ascent to the top of the Formula One tree.
It was the equivalent of following a Bundesliga season over the past 10 years. You were only watching to see who would come second.
Fernando Alonso ran him close in those years, while 2010 didn’t even seem to be his battle to fight, until the slow-moving Renault of Vitaly Petrov threw a spanner in the works. Ultimately, it was always Vettel who came out on top.
However, there was also bad blood that developed towards the German in those years. Boos started to ring around circuits at every podium ceremony – most of which he featured.
This was simply a product of Vettel’s success. A feeling that predictably was starting to consume the championship. A dangerous feature that takes away an element that makes the sport so exciting.
There were also incidents that made people question his character. The most notable of those being ‘Mulit-21’.
He decided to defy orders not to pass his teammate, Mark Webber, despite them being on different tyre compounds.
It all lent itself to the idea that Vettel would do anything for the win. His lack of remorse in post-race interviews only added fuel to the fire.
We seem to forget that this is and always will be the point of being an F1 driver. An individual sport of fine margins and split-second decisions. You will always be fighting for yourself no matter how much teamwork is emphasised.
There is also the thought that he simply wanted to emulate another ruthless champion in Michael Schumacher who pushed the rules to the limit to achieve personal glory. Coincidentally Schumacher was always Vettel’s hero and we have seen the love he has for their family after taking young starlet, Mick Schumacher, under his wing since he came onto the grid.
It seemed logical then that Vettel may have fantasised about replicating the actions and team choices of his idol in his career.
That idea became fact when he surprisingly moved to Ferrari to bring back the glory years of the 2000s.
Always the bridesmaid never the bride
Vettel’s move to Ferrari in 2015 was meant to be a symbol that the Scuderia were back. A talismanic German at the helm with a solid wingman in Kimi Raikkonen providing support.
He didn’t have to wait long for a victory picking up his first for the team in the second race of the season at Malaysia.
A further two wins would follow that year but like many, Vettel didn’t realise how hard it would be to stop the Mercedes juggernaut.
Title after title followed with Vettel only able to play the role of his predecessor, Fernando Alonso, in his own years of domination at the start of the 2010s.
There were familiar stories with lightning pre-season times and early form leading at first to optimism and then to prayer that we may see a title fight.
It never truly happened though with Vettel always out of sight and out of mind when the fat lady sung at the end of the year.
That is no criticism by the way. Vettel was consistently better than Hamilton’s teammate in those years, Valtteri Bottas who was in faster machinery and dragged every ounce of performance out of his car.
In a similar situation many talented drivers have found themselves in it just wasn’t meant to be.
The last few years at Ferrari were hard to watch though. Like a shot of vinegar going down the throat.
What we saw was a man in decline. Even a person that thrives on shadenfruede had to feel the slightest bit sympathetic for the once prolific driver.
Mistakes started to creep in and even more damaging was the petulance.
Without the flow of trophies and and soothing voice of his Red Bull engineer, Rocky, it seemed Vettel was starting to lose the battle with himself. It was strange to see considering his age but also his earlier dominance.
Had the great man forgotten how to drive?
When Charles Leclerc joined the team in 2019 there was already a sense that Vettel’s best days were behind him.
Whittled down by the relentless speed of the Mercedes it seemed Weltmeister had given all he had. Two years followed in an uncompetitive car with a meagre 33 points being collected by the German in 2021.
With Carol Sainz Jr in the market, Ferrari decided to jump, and many felt Seb would drift into the sunset and look back at his illustrious F1 career from the sidelines.
That was until Lawrence Stroll threw him a lifeline with the newly-formed Aston Martin team.
More than an F1 driver
His years at Aston Martin have never reached the heights that driver or team would hope for.
The reality is that even if Aston Martin did nail the 2022 regulations, I’m not sure Vettel would have it in him to compete with the best anymore.
Interestingly though , this has created a version of Vettel that is the most likeable we have seen in his entire career.
The family man who challenges the sport and its viewers to think about the damage they are doing to the world.
We look forward to seeing his helmet design more than his qualifying performance; the shirt he wears on the grid rather than his actual grid start.
He is still a special driver and as a result, special moments have still come. That podium in Baku last year, getting so close to the win in Hungary before being cruelly disqualified. The magic has not gone completely.
What has led to so much love for Seb from F1 fans all over though is the sight of a man who is not interested in the past, but in the present.
“I’m against being stuck in the moment.” said Vettel in 2019.
He always wants to keep moving forward in life and maybe he feels the next step in his career is outside of motorsport.
After his successful appearance on politics show, Question Time a career back in German politics could be on the cards.
If he wants to stay racing, a seat in Formula E has already been mentioned, which would suit his environmental values.
For now though we should just enjoy Vettel for who is. A man who cares not about his legacy in F1 but the legacy we leave for the next generation.
Danke! Grazie! Thank you Seb!