TL;DR: Sebastian Vettel has retired from Formula One and I am very sad.
To give you some perspective, I started watching Formula One after the summer break of the 2018 season. Being a new follower of the sport, I was busy learning and remembering names, rules and concepts that were being thrown my way. As the season progressed towards the finale, I couldn’t help but naturally get drawn to two drivers: Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel. The fact that these two would be in the same team for 2019 made me even more excited. The 2019 season turned out to be good overall for both the drivers and Ferrari. It cemented my support for both drivers.
This season has been tough to follow with Charles failing to secure his maiden title, and Vettel announcing his retirement from the sport. While I am glad Charles secured second place in the Driver’s Championship, I can’t help but feel sad about Seb leaving the sport he loves so much. Within a span of 4 seasons, one of my favourites is leaving the sport. It will be tough watching races without him on the grid.
I am grateful for coming across this gem of a man who always stood up for what he felt was right, and supported and cared for his colleagues irrespective of the fierce competition on track. He will always be the embodiment of humility and sportsmanship for me.