After announcing his retirement from Formula 1 at the end of the season, Sebastian Vettel has opted to sport a new helmet design for this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
The German will leave as one of F1’s most decorated drivers having four driver’s championships, 53 victories and 57 pole positions to his name.
Success has been scarce for Vettel since leaving Ferrari for Aston Martin prior to the start of the 2021 season.
The 35-year-old has managed just one podium since joining the Silverstone outfit, but he has no regrets over his decision to leave the sport.
“I think it’s the right time for me to do other things,” said Vettel. “Obviously I know how intense, I know how much dedication goes into this and if you do this I’m convinced you have to do it the right way.
“I don’t get much pleasure and motivation from being here and just being part of it.
“The most important was to chat to the team because it’s my team – not literally my team, the team I’m racing for – and the people that give so much day in, day out. I wanted them to know and hear from me.
“I have been in situations where I found out about what’s going on through the media, and I don’t find this a very classy way of doing it.”
Ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, which Vettel has won twice in his career, the German unveiled a new helmet design for the weekend.
The design is an unused 2019 lego look, and Vettel will be hoping it brings him more luck at the Hungaroring than last season.
The German finished second to Esteban Ocon but was later disqualified after the stewards were unable to extract a sufficient fuel sample from his Aston Martin.