Four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel to retire after 2022 season

Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel announced Thursday that the 2022 season will be his last.

"The decision to retire has been a difficult one for me to take, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about it," Vettel said in a statement. "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, 35, finished as the championship runner-up in 2009 before emerging as an unstoppable star with four consecutive titles between 2010 and 2013. He won nine straight races during the 2013 season, a record that still stands, and tied the record for wins in a season that year with 13. His 53 career Grand Prix victories are third all-time behind only Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.