German driver Sebastian Vettel, four-time Formula One world champion with Red Bull (between 2010 and 2013), will retire at the end of this season, his current team, Aston Martin, announced on Thursday. Aramco Cognizant.

“The decision to retire has been a difficult one to make and I have spent a lot of time thinking about this, at the end of the year I want to take some more time to reflect on what I am going to do next, I am very clear that as a father I want to spend more time with my family,” Vettel said in the team’s statement.

“For the last two years I have been a driver for the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One team,” he added, “and although our results have not been as good as we expected, I am very clear that everything a team needs is being put together.”

Mike Krack, team principal, highlighted the qualities of the German: “Sebastian is an excellent driver, fast, intelligent and strategic, and of course we are going to miss those qualities. However, we have all learned from him, and the knowledge we have gained from working with him will continue to benefit our team long after his departure.”

The 35-year-old German driver is third on the list of all-time Grand Prix winners with 53 wins, behind only Lewis Hamilton (103) and Michael Schumacher (91).

“But today is not about saying goodbye. Rather, it is about saying thank you, to everyone, especially the fans, without whose passionate support Formula One could not exist,” concluded Vettel.

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