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Not many people were convinced of Sebastian Vettel's talent before he was picked up by Torro Rosso to race alongside Sebastian Bourdais in 2007. The German made his debut in the 2007 F1 US GP. He replaced Robert Kubica, who had gotten injured in the F1 Canadian GP (the previous race) in a horrific incident.
AlphaTauri (formerly known as Torro Rosso) team principal Franz Tost talked about how, while BMW was convinced of Vettel, the Sauber contingent was unsure. Subsequently, when Red Bull picked up the youngster for Torro Rosso, there wasn't a lot of friction between the two parties. Speaking to F1Insider, Tost said:
"Sebastian came to Toro Rosso because we needed a replacement for Sébastian Bourdais. Before that, however, there was a lot of discussion about him. Not everyone was convinced of him. I really wanted him. He was a super talent for me and, at first, I had a similar impression of him as of Michael Schumacher. Thank God Dietrich Mateschitz decided in favor of him."
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"You have to know that Sebastian, who was previously a test pilot at BMW, slipped into the political games there. BMW like Mario Theissen wanted to keep him. Other Sauber people didn't."
Sebastian Vettel will retire at the end of the 2022 F1 season
Sebastian Vettel has announced that he will retire from F1 at the end of the season to bring an end to his illustrious 15-year career. In his retirement message, Vettel 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, listening to them when they need me, not having to say goodbye, and most importantly, being able to learn from them."
"Children are our future. Further, I feel there is so much to explore and learn, about like and about myself. Speaking of the future, I feel we live in very decisive times. And how we all shape these next years will determine our lives."
Sebastian Vettel will retire from the sport as a four-time world champion alongside many other accolades.
