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Bonus: A final farewell to Sebastian Vettel
Yes, we said we'd do this season review in ten parts, but we can't finish without a tribute to four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who bows out of Formula 1 after 16 years and 299 grand Prix races with BMW Sauber, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Ferrari and most recently Aston Martin. Along the way he claimed 57 pole positions and 122 podium places, including 53 race victories.
Between 2010 and 2013 Vettel was simply unbeatable, winning race after race and wagging that winning finger in salute to his colleagues in the paddock and the fans in the grandstand. Unfortunately Mercedes' domination of the modern hybrid era meant he wasn't able to bring that same level of success to his time at Ferrari, and Aston Martin didn't have the equipment to put him in contention for race victories let along title wins.
What was truly remarkable to see as Abu Dhabi was the outpouring of affection for Vettel, with anecdotes emerging of how he had quietly reached out behind the scenes to support other drivers at tough moments in their lives. He's also been widely admired for his social and environmental activism in recent seasons, including appearing on BBC politics show Question Time and being almost the only panelist to talk any sense about complex issues. He may or may not go on into politics in his post-F1 career, but the world will surely be the poorer if he doesn't.
Vettel is not the only person stepping away at the end of 2022. His former Red Bull team mate Daniel Ricciardo will be a third driver for Red Bull but no longer on the grid. Mick Schumacher likewise is sitting out 2023 although he will be on call for Mercedes, while Nicholas Latifi has driven his last race for Williams. On the team principal front we also say farewell to Mattia Binotto whose role as Ferrari team boss has gone to Frédéric Vasseur. Vasseur's old post as Sauber CEO will now be taken by former McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl, with Andrea Stella stepping up at Woking. And it's goodbye to Williams CEO Jost Capito and technical director Francois-Xavier Demaison after two seasons at Grove, with the vacancies still to be filled over the off-season..
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