German F1 driver Vettel announces retirement

Aston Martin announced on Thursday that Sebastian Vettel would be retiring from the sport at the end of the season.

The 35-year-old German driver said it wasn't an easy decision. F1 paid tribute to the driver in a series of posts on Twitter. 

'My goals have shifted' — Vettel

"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.

Vettel said he would take some time at the end of the year to "reflect on what I will focus on next."

Time with family appears to have been a big consideration in the F1 star's decision to walk away.

"Next to racing, I have grown a family and I love being around them. I have grown other interests outside Formula One," he said. "My goals have shifted from winning races and fighting for championships to seeing my children grow, passing on my values, helping them up when they fall," he added.

Vettel expressed his gratitude to fans of the sport for their support.

"But today is not about saying goodbye," he said. "Rather, it is about saying thank you — to everyone — not least to the fans, without whose passionate support Formula One could not exist."

Four titles and 53 race victories

Vettel won four consecutive titles while racing for Red Bull from 2010 and 2013, but struggled to replicate the success when following his childhood hero Michael Schumacher to Ferrari. He moved on to Aston Martin after six years with the Scuderia, no longer at a team capable of fighting for race wins. 

During his career he won 53 Grands Prix, putting him third in the all-time list, behind only Schumacher and his longtime rival Lewis Hamilton in the all-time list. He is considered among the most successful drivers in F1 and was the youngest world champion in the sport.

Vettel has recently become known for his environmental activism, in a sport not known for its environmentally friendliness.

At the Austrian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel sported a helmet with a special yellow, orange and black design and the slogan: "Save the bees."

Vettel has also been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights, sporting rainbow motifs at races in Gulf states with a highly repressive approach to sexual identities and wearing a rainbow shirt in Hungary last season in protest of the country's discriminatory laws.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Vettel was the first driver to openly state that he would not compete at the planned Russian Grand Prix in Sochi if it should go ahead. After others followed in his footsteps, organizers canceled the event. 

Earlier this year, Vettel appeared as a panelist on the prominent British political talk show "Question Time," on the BBC, to speak about issues ranging from environmental conservation to Ukraine and Brexit.  

kb/msh (dpa, Reuters)