In the black-and-white video, Sebastian Vettel sits on a stool, looks down the barrel of the lens and, in the brief pause that follows, the entire F1 world stands still.
You know what he’s going to say before he even says it, and yet, the message still comes crashing down like a tonne of bricks.
Vettel says he’s leaving F1 good, bringing to an end one of the category’s most storeyed careers.
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There’s much to celebrate about the German’s career, notably four emphatic world championships that leave him immortalised as an all-time legend.
Even so, whether it’s his brooding expression, the black-and-white filter, or the realisation that, even with four world titles, this could have been so much more, the air of sadness is hard to ignore.
Vettel proceeds to deliver a retirement speech like no other in sport.
It’s genuine, revealing, poignant, and emotional.
A man in control of his own destiny, Vettel irreversibly separates the person he is from the driver we’ve known.
“Who am I? I am Sebastian, father of three children and husband to a wonderful woman. I am curious and easily fascinated by passionate or skilled people. I am obsessed with perfection,” he says.
“I am tolerant and feel we all have the same rights to live no matter what we look like, where we come from and who we love.
“I believe in change and progress, and that every little bit makes a difference. I am an optimist and I believe that people are good.”
Vettel explains he wants to spend less time away from his family, and how his climate concerns played a major role in his decision to leave.
“My passion comes with certain aspects that I’ve learned to dislike,” he says. “Talk is not enough and we cannot afford to wait. There is no alternative, the race is under way.
“My best race is still to come, I believe in moving forwards and moving on.”
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In losing, Vettel grew far more than he ever did in winning.
It’s hard to reconcile the considered, empathetic and virtuous character with the ruthless, hot-headed maverick that burst onto the F1 scene in 2007.
The then 19-year-old was always destined for greatness, claiming points in his debut Grand Prix for Williams, and vaulting from 17th on the grid to fourth at the Chinese GP later that year.
In 2008, he became F1’s youngest-ever race winner when he took the chequered flag at Monza for lowly Toro Rosso, doing so at 21 years and 73 days.
The following year he was promoted to Red Bull where his Senna-esque appetite to win would reach new levels, and elevate him above all others.
Vettel’s uncompromising driving and his fiery nature alongside Mark Webber would turn him into something of a villain, particularly in Australian circles.
Their tense rivalry started in Vettel’s debut year when, at a soaked Fuji Speedway, he rammed Webber at high speed behind the safety car.
“It’s kids isn’t it? Kids with not enough experience, doing a good job and then they f*** it all up,” a furious Webber said in the aftermath.
Years later they would be awkwardly paired at Red Bull, ultimately leading to a complete breakdown in their partnership.
At the Turkish Grand Prix in 2010, the pair spectacularly crashed on the straight with neither driver willing to give an inch to the other.
“What the f**k are we doing here?” bellowed Vettel over team radio. “What a stupid action. I’m going home. F**k you.”
In leaving the track, Vettel circled his finger beside his head, implying Webber was crazy.
Most telling of Vettel’s unwavering thirst to win was two years later in Malaysia when he defied team orders, risking a Red Bull one-two finish by overtaking Webber late in the race.
“It looked like you wanted it bad enough. Still, there will be some explaining to do,” said his engineer over team radio.
Among those dramas, however, was one of the greatest sustained periods of dominance ever produced by a single driver in F1.
Vettel became the youngest world champion of all time — a record that still stands — when at 23 years and 134 days, he clinched the title in a thrilling 2010 finale.
That victory turned into four championships in a row, culminating in an utterly dominant 2013 in which he equalled Michael Schumacher’s 2004 record of 13 Grand Prix wins in a season. Nine of those came in a row, which is also a record.
Only Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Juan Manuel Fangio and Schumacher have won four or more consecutive championships.
Vettel left Brazil in November 2013 having beat second-placed Fernando Alonso by 155 points, and retiring teammate Webber by 198.
No one even considered that the German would never win another world title, but here we are.
As Red Bull was caught on the back foot at the start of the hybrid era in 2014, Vettel was outdriven by Daniel Ricciardo in what would be his first winless season as a full-time driver.
Nonetheless, Ferrari came knocking, giving Vettel the opportunity to emulate his childhood hero and countryman, Schumacher.
Those six years in Maranello would prove to be a humbling experience.
Twice was Vettel truly in the title fight with Mercedes’ Hamilton but was outclassed in the same way he used to do to his rivals in his pomp.
In 2017, Vettel’s fiery side was coming out on track again when he intentionally bumped his Ferrari into Hamilton’s Mercedes having felt like he was brake-tested under a safety car.
But after the Hungary GP the title race dramatically swung in the favour of Hamilton, who claimed five wins in the final nine races compared to Vettel’s one.
The following year presented a golden opportunity, but Vettel spectacularly crashed out of the lead of his home race while under no pressure.
Vettel finished second in both of those seasons and wouldn’t come close to winning a fifth world championship again.
Prior to the delayed 2020 season opener, he was sensationally told by Ferrari he would be dumped, but still had to see out the entire year.
A final chance would come with Aston Martin, but despite the company’s riches, his two years in green have been challenging. He came 12th in 2021 — albeit with a second-place in Azerbaijan — and is running in 14th this season.
Even so, it’s in these last two years that Vettel’s legacy may truly lie.
Away from the rigours of a title battle, the 35-year-old has focused on actions that will define him away from the track.
In Hungary, Vettel took a stance against the nation’s controversial anti-LGBT legislation by wearing a rainbow T-shirt with the words “Same Love” on the front.
Prior to being reprimanded by the FIA, he said he would be “happy if they disqualify me”.
“They can do whatever they want to me, I don’t care. I would do it again,” Vettel said.
The driver has also been an ally of the Black Lives Matter movement, regularly taking a knee before races and wearing ‘end racism’ shirts.
However, Vettel’s most passionate cause — that factored into his decision to quit F1 — is climate change.
He’s regularly spoken out against climate inaction, such as wearing in Canada a shirt that called out the nation for mining tar sands.
After the British Grand Prix in 2021, he stayed behind to clean up litter in the grandstands of Silverstone.
How many F1 drivers have you ever seen stay behind to pick up trash?
In May, he first revealed that he was considering quitting F1 over his stance, calling himself a “hypocrite” given the environmental cost of the sport’s travelling circus.
This week, he proved he was prepared to give up the only thing he has known in his entire adult life for his beliefs.
Once, winning was seemingly all that mattered to Vettel. Now it’s a mere triviality — hard to believe for anyone familiar with his heyday.
Vettel now prepares to leave F1 as one of its most adored stars, and it’s only owed in part to what he did on track.
F1 truly won’t be the same without him.