Sebastian Vettel's greatest success is a distant memory but the four-time world champion will leave Formula One at the end of this year with more fans than he had in his heyday.
Vettel won his last title with Red Bull almost a decade ago, while it has been nearly three years since the 35-year-old German last won a race.
News of his departure at the end of the season, which was announced on Thursday, nonetheless triggered an outpouring of appreciation, with the Aston Martin driver hailed as a legend, inspiration, ambassador, one of the all-time greats and a class act.