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The 2022 Formula One season is rapidly coming to a close with just two races to go, but while some may be looking forward to the winter offseason, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will mark the end of an era.
Sebastian Vettel announced before summer break that he would be retiring from the sport at the end of the season, ending a 16-year run that featured 15 full-time seasons, 53 wins, 57 pole positions and four world championship titles (2010 to ’13). And while the German driver’s farewell tour is coming to a close in a few short weeks, Vettel isn’t completely closing the door on a possible F1 return.
He may be looking forward to his next chapter, but Vettel said to Der Spiegel he “would like to rule [an F1 return] out. But I can’t.” He noted that from a physicality standpoint, drivers could theoretically return to F1 after a two-year break. Fernando Alonso did this in 2019 and ’20, and even the great Michael Schumacher stepped away for three years.
Alonso will fill the vacant seat at Aston Martin.
Vettel’s impact extended beyond his dominance on the grid, speaking out about topics like environmental matters and human rights. He said in his retirement video, “I very much believe in identity by who we are and how we treat others rather than what we do. Who am I? I am Sebastian, father of three children and husband to a wonderful woman. I am curious and easily fascinated by passionate or skilled people. I am obsessed with perfection. I am tolerant and feel we all have the same rights to live, no matter what we look like, where we come from and who we love.”
There are just two races left on the F1 calendar—this weekend’s São Paulo Grand Prix and next weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. For the season finale, Vettel decided to do a special helmet that includes a fan and charity twist. The top 100 bidders in the special auction will have their photograph on his helmet in Abu Dhabi while “100% of the proceeds will go to a good cause and a project close to my heart,” he said in an Instagram video.
