The German former Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement in 2022 and was never seen in the paddocks ever again. Not yet. Today (July 3, 2024) he turns 37, and brings forth memories of his illustrious 16-year career in the sport filled with brilliance, and smiles. Let's revisit the era when four world champions used to battle against each other in F1, to the rise of Red Bull. (More Motorsport News)
Sebastian Vettell made his debute in F1 in 2007 with BMW Sauber team. It was just a deputize role for the injured Robert Kubica at the 2007 US grand Prix at Indianapolis and the 20-year-old boy qualified seventh and finished eighth, becoming the youngest driver to score a championship point.
The same year, Vettel joind the Red Bull-sponsored Toro Rosso team, and a year later was promoted to the Red Bull racing in 2009. He became the youngest ever (23) in the 61-year history of Formula One to win a world championship in 2010. The season still gives chills to fans for it was the most closely contested year ever.
That marked the beginning of a remarkable journey for the German driver. With Red Bull Racing, he secured four consecutive Formula 1 World Championships, placing him among the elite company of Juan Manuel Fangio, Ayrton Senna, and Michael Schumacher. However, after this period, the trajectory of Sebastian Vettel's career became uncertain. In 2014, he experienced a challenging season, failing to win a race and finishing fifth in the standings, while his teammate at the time, Daniel Ricciardo, claimed victory in three races.
And then, a year later in 2015, a seat was waiting for Sebastian Vettel at the team of Legends - Scuderia Ferrari. But that was the era of Mercedes. The decade was written in favour of the Silver Arrows. With Lewis Hamilton, the team was en route to their own era of glory. The only threat for the German manufacturers were Ferrari and the driver driving their car - Sebastian Vettel. Two times in 2017 and 2018, he gave a tough title battle to the Mercedes ace, narrowly missing out on adding another championship to his trophy tally and finishing as the runner-up on both occasions.
Untill 2020, with Ferrari he had won 14 Grand Prixs and overall had 4 World Championships, 53 Victories, 57 Pole Positions, 122 Podium Finishes and 4 grand slams. He left Ferrari then and drove for Aston Martin in 2021 and 2022 and then waved good bye to F1. The end.
Now the big question,
What is Sebastian Vettel doing now?
As of now, Sebastian Vettel has repeatedly stated that he is not returning to Formula One. There have been no official announcements or indications suggesting otherwise.
However, in a recent update to his career it was revealed that the four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel is getting back behind the wheels again signing with Porsche as a test driver on its Le Mans program. Vettel will drive the Porsche 963 car for works team Porsche Penske Motorsport as part of a 36-hour test session at the Motorland Aragon circuit in Spain next week.
