Everyone loves him, say fellow drivers of Vettel

BUDAPEST • Sebastian Vettel's greatest success is a distant memory but the four-time world champion will leave Formula One at the end of this year with more fans than he had in his heyday.

The German clinched his last title with Red Bull almost a decade ago and the 35-year-old last won a race at the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix when he was with Ferrari.

However, his impending retirement - which was announced on Thursday - at the end of the season has nonetheless triggered an outpouring of appreciation, with the Aston Martin driver hailed as a "legend" and a "class act".

"Everyone in the paddock loves him," Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, a simulator driver at Red Bull when Vettel was chalking up back-to-back championship success with the team, said ahead of tomorrow's Hungarian Grand Prix.

"You will not hear someone speaking bad about Seb. I think this just speaks about his personality, his life as a human being not only as a driver."

Old rival and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton added that Vettel was "leaving this sport better than you found it which is always the goal", while Mercedes teammate George Russell called him an "inspiration".

In 2013, Vettel was seen by some as a "villain", after he snatched victory from then Red Bull teammate Mark Webber in Malaysia, but he has mellowed over the years.

He is now outspoken on topics ranging from the environment and sustainability to LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual plus) rights.

Vettel also collects litter from the stands after races, cycles to work and has completed an internship in organic farming and creating a bee habitat.

His exit opens up a spot on the F1 grid, with a fistful of names tipped as a possible replacement at Aston Martin.

While the team are near the bottom of the championship standings, they have big ambitions under Canadian billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll, who is determined to eventually turn them into title contenders.

His son Lance occupies the other driver spot and anyone joining the Mercedes-powered team will have to fit into a special dynamic.

Some of the names that have been mentioned as a replacement for Vettel include Oscar Piastri, the reserve driver for Alpine, Mercedes reserve Nyck de Vries, who won the Formula E title last year, and Williams' Alexander Albon.

Former racer and Sky Sports television commentator Martin Brundle said: "The discussion is immediately, 'Who is going to take Seb's place at Aston Martin next?' That's the mindset of this business.

"My guess is if (Daniel) Ricciardo stays put at McLaren then Albon or de Vries."

REUTERS