Moving from what was an eventful Brazilian Grand Prix, we head towards the final race of the season held at the beautiful Yas Marina circuit, a track where the soon to be retiring Vettel has won 3 times.
A fan favorite, his prowess on the track and joyful jokes off it will be held in the memories of supporters for years to come. Vettel’s journey through Formula 1 has been nothing short of incredible, and it only seems right to tell the story of one of the many true legends of the sport.
In 2007, when Robert Kubica was injured during his massive crash in the Canadian Grand Prix, leaving him with fractures in his leg and shoulder, a young Sebastian Vettel stood in for him at Indianapolis. Only known as the test driver for BMW, no one was quite sure of what this young German was capable of.
Finishing eighth in his first outing in Formula 1, becoming then the youngest driver to score a point, onlookers knew that this 20-year-old was not one to miss. Little did Vettel know, over his F1 career spanning 15 years, he would become one of the greatest drivers of all time. Amassing a total of four World Championships alongside some unbelievable records, such as the incredible untouched nine consecutive wins. Now retiring from Formula 1, the motorsport community is remembering what an astonishing course Vettel drove.
Jumping off an exciting 2007 introduction, Vettel was thrown into a Toro Rosso in 2008. Toro Rosso would be seen as Red Bulls “second team,” however, this title would be proven wrong. The young German driver was earning some significant point finishes during this season, but what would happen at Monza later that year was unprecedented.
On a soaking wet day in the beautiful countryside of Italy, Vettel made history. Not only becoming the youngest pole-sitter but winning the Italian Grand Prix at the age of 21 years and 74 days, becoming then the youngest winner ever. Not only did he win, but he also dominated the race, finishing 12.5 seconds ahead of second place, McLarens Heikki Kovalainen. Being named 2008’s “Rookie of the Year”, Vettel had his first of what would become many Grand Prix victories. “Baby Schumi,” as the German media would refer to him as, a reference back to the great 7x World Champion and German Legend, Michael Schumacher, had really etched his name into the history books.
Vettel was brought up in the rankings in the 2009 season, joining the famous name of Red Bull. It was during these years that Sebastian would reel in 4 World Championships across the years of 2010-2013. Vettel’s first Championship led him to become the youngest ever at the tender age of 23 years and 143 days, beating Lewis Hamilton by just 167 days from the Brits 2008 trophy lifting season. Within these four years, Vettel would dominate the sport, setting and breaking countless records.
In 2013, Sebastian Vettel managed to run a 9-race winning streak, the most in history. Within the same season, he amounted to what was previously the most Grand Prix wins in a single year, a total of 13 out of the 19 races held. This record would be broken in 2022 by the current World Champion Max Verstappen.
In 2011, Vettel would become the “King of Qualifying,” starting 11 out of the 19 races on pole position, another record yet to be broken. Sebastian Vettel was on a different level in those years. He had found a connection with his car that no one else could quite achieve. It was as if man and machine were not separate, they were a joint unit going at 200mph, turning every corner together; perfecting every lap.
Not all of his championships were plain sailing. In 2012, on the final race in Brazil, it was a titanic battle between Sebastian Vettel and the already 2x World Champion of Fernando Alonso. Within the first lap Vettel had been spun, leaving him in 22nd position. When the car stops spinning, the spirit leaks out of the driver like air from a burst tire, hearing months of hard-fought racing fade away in the form of roaring engines. But this wasn’t just any old driver. This was Sebastian Vettel, the man who in 2010 had already beaten Alonso to the title in Abu Dhabi with an exceptional drive. As young as Vettel may have been, he had a wise head. Charging through the field to finish under the safety car in 6th position, enough to hand him the Championship trophy, showed his true ability as a driver.
Alonso would go onto comment on Vettel’s retirement naming him a
“great champion and also a great man.”
Fernando Alonso
After a dream four years, Red Bull lagged behind in 2014 as the new hybrid-era arrived. Just as Vettel had said in America in his dominating 2013 season
“We have to remember these days. There’s no guarantee that they will last forever.”
Sebastian Vettel – 2013
Reliability issues and a new young teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, led Vettel to leave Red Bull and follow where his German racing role-model Michael Schumacher had left to. Ferrari.
Vettel hoped to be able to follow in his icon’s footsteps and become a world champion in that famous red Ferrari car. However, a new monster was afoot. A team who had been waiting to show their force in this new era of cars. Mercedes! And with their already 2x World Champion (2008,2014) Lewis Hamilton in the car, they looked scary.
From 2015-2020, Vettel gathered 14 wins for the “Prancing Horses” and a multitude of pole positions. Aside from these accomplishments, Vettel spent a lot of time chasing the Mercedes. Always entering as a title contender, he was never left out, but when it came to taking that trophy, only Mercedes could do it. In fact, it has only been Mercedes who have held the Constructors Title in the entirety of the hybrid-era (8 years.)
For most of his Ferrari career, Vettel was teamed with Kimi Raikkonen, a very experienced driver with one Championship under his belt. In the last couple of years with the team, future star Charles Leclerc joined. Vettel started to fall behind his young teammate and with the Ferrari team. Too many disagreements, miscommunications, and awful strategies led Vettel to announce his departure from Ferrari in 2020. He needed a new venture; a fresh start. This came to him in the shape of a brand-new team to Formula 1 with an old name. Aston Martin.
Entering Formula 1 as a new team is incredibly hard. You can get miracle stories such as Brawn GP in 2009, but none were repeated for Aston Martin, or Sebastian Vettel. His last two years within the sport have been spent with this team gaining good points positions; such as Monaco where he gained his first points for the team and in Azerbaijan where he managed to claim the team’s first podium spot, finishing in second place. Taking the award for most overtakes of the season proved that Vettel wasn’t lost, but it seems the fans knew his legacy was coming to an end. In the viral retirement video shared on Vettel’s personal Instagram account, he would share how…
“the marks I left on track will stay until time and rain will wash them away.”
Sebastian Vettel retirement video 2022
On the 28th of July 2022, Vettel announced his retirement from the sport sending a wave of sadness through not only his fans, but the entire motorsport community. A German Giant, following in the footsteps of the greats, including his hero Michael Schumacher, was stepping down from his throne.
Vettel’s voice will not be lost however, he is a strong advocate for equality within motorsport, often seen kneeling alongside Lewis Hamilton in the fight against racism.
Sergio Perez, current Red Bull driver spoke in the press saying “He’s (Vettel) always been very fair, very vocal.” He also plays a big role in voicing the importance of saving our environment. He is seen creating bee hotels around the UK and has featured on an episode of Question Time on the BBC where he put himself in the limelight of the public and political figures to give feedback on how Formula 1 can progress in its sustainability quotas.
A character loved on and off the racetrack, a name spread in the history books; a voice heard forever.