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Agence France-Presse

Four-time defending world champion Sebastian Vettel on Saturday announced his shock departure from Red Bull and looked set to join Ferrari in a day of major upheaval in Formula One.
Vettel won all his world titles with Red Bull in a four-year spell of dominance, but he will leave at the end of this season and be replaced by Russian rookie Daniil Kvyat, 20.

	Now I have decided to take the next step in my career... about my future plans, there will be an announcement very soon

	Sebastian Vettel
“I have decided to leave Red Bull at the end of this year,” the 27-year-old Vettel said on his website.
Team principal Christian Horner said Vettel had only announced his departure late on Friday, during preparations for the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka.
“Obviously Ferrari have made him a very attractive offer,” Horner said.
It was an announcement that stunned the paddock, coming just two days after the under-performing Vettel laughed off speculation about his future.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso is thought to be on his way out of Ferrari, a move which would leave a vacancy at the Italian team.
Vettel said there would be news on his next step “very soon”, adding that he had wrestled with the decision to quit the team that launched his career.
“Of course it is a big step and hard to make such a decision,” the German said.
“The chance to drive in F1, the first win with Scuderia Toro Rosso, the four championship wins with Infiniti Red Bull Racing and many other great memories have bound Red Bull and myself together into a kind of family. No one can take these times away from us.
“Now I have decided to take the next step in my career... about my future plans, there will be an announcement very soon.”
Vettel graduated to Red Bull from feeder team Toro Rosso – current employer of his replacement, Kvyat – and became the sport’s youngest world champion aged 23 in 2010.
He made it four titles in a row last year, joining Michael Schumacher, Juan Manuel Fangio and Alain Prost as only the fourth driver with as many world championships.
But Vettel’s past glories have quickly faded this season. He is fifth in the standings and driving in the shadow not only of top team Mercedes, but also his teammate.
The young Australian Daniel Ricciardo has won three races in his debut Red Bull season to sit third in the title race, behind Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
Vettel has totted up 39 wins and 45 pole positions with Red Bull and Toro Rosso. A move to Ferrari would be seen as a risk following a lean spell for the Italian giants.
But Vettel would be following in the footsteps of his idol Schumacher, who joined Ferrari during another slump and went on to win five world titles with the Turin-based team.
Vettel may also take encouragement from the example of Hamilton, who left long-term employer McLaren in 2012 and is now on top of the drivers’ standings with Mercedes.
A Red Bull team statement said: “We want to warmly thank Sebastian for the incredible role he has played at Infiniti Red Bull Racing for the last six years.”
Five facts
1 Vettel won the world drivers’ championship in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. But there are plenty of records that put him up among the Formula One greats Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. He had the most championship points in a season (397) and season wins (13) in 2013. He was the youngest driver to start in Formula One, 19 years and 53 days, until Max Verstappen this week. He won his first race at just 21 – another record.
2 The German started karting before he was four years old and racing when he was eight. Red Bull first signed him up at the age of 11.
3 Vettel is a big fan of the Beatles, especially their song Drive My Car. He did a voice-over for the German version of the animated film Cars 2. The star driver says he is competitive and often impatient, and that has caused much of the bad publicity that sometimes surrounds him.
4 Vettel nearly had his finger sliced off in flying debris in one accident as a teenager. But it was his crooked finger salute after winning races that became one of the symbols of his success which started to annoy many fellow drivers. Alain Prost, another four-time champion, said Vettel should “stop celebrating with his finger”. He was also repeatedly booed at the podium after the so-called M-21 incident at the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2013 when he ignored team orders to let teammate Mark Webber win. Vettel overtook to take the chequered flag.
5 Vettel’s brilliance was blamed for a slump in Formula One television viewers in 2013. Vettel won 13 of the 19 races as he powered to his fourth title with Red Bull. But a Global Media Report survey said TV viewers fell from 500 million in 2012 to 450 million. F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone acknowledged that Vettel’s domination was hurting the sport. “Many people want to see Vettel lose because it would finally make it more exciting again,” Ecclestone told German daily Bild.


Ferrari beckons for Sebastian Vettel after quitting Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel won four-straight championships between 2010 and 2013, although he has yet to win a race in 2014. Photo: EPA

Sebastian Vettel is chased by media before practice at the Japanese  Grand Prix in Suzuka. Photo: EPA

Sebastian Vettel gets ready for practice at the Japanese Grand Prix. Photo: AP

Sebastian Vettel heads out for the third practice session at Suzuka. Photo: AP

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German's seat will be taken by 20-year-old Russian driver Daniil Kvyat


Four-time defending world champion Sebastian Vettel on Saturday announced his shock departure from Red Bull and looked set to join Ferrari in a day of major upheaval in Formula One.


Ferrari beckons for Sebastian Vettel after quitting Red Bull

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}German's seat will be taken by 20-year-old Russian driver Daniil Kvyat

German's seat will be taken by 20-year-old Russian driver Daniil Kvyat