He also appeared in advertisements for Head & Shoulders,[13] and provided the voice of character Sebastian Schnell in the German version of the movie Cars 2. 2014 L. Hamilton 1964 J. Surtees [31], Vettel competed in the 2007 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, and took his first win at the Nrburgring. [147] The FIA investigated the Vettel-Hamilton incident further, but Vettel received no punishment. In addition to suffering reliability problems, throughout 2014 Vettel struggled to get to grips with the Red Bull RB10,[115] and the Pirelli tyres. Vettel and Horner criticised Karthikeyan's driving, with Vettel calling him an "idiot",[88] and a "cucumber". [206][207], Vettel competed in the 2007 Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium, representing the German team alongside Michael Schumacher,[208] winning the Nations' Cup title. [204] During the season, Vettel made 132 overtakesthe most of any driverand won the inaugural Overtake Award. ", "Tech Tuesday: How going backwards took Ferrari forward to US victory", "Lewis Hamilton equals Juan Manuel Fangio with fifth F1 title", "Ferrari may now have the fastest car, but the Japanese Grand Prix shows how far they have to go to topple Mercedes", "F1 2018: Where did it go wrong for Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari? Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed. [185], Vettel took pole position in Japan,[186] but an abrupt start off the line caused him to momentarily stop before getting away, which allowed Bottas to take the lead; Vettel was not penalized for his jump start. [230] In 2011, Pirelli director Paul Hembery was impressed when Vettel was the only driver to take the time to visit the factory and talk to the tyre manufacturer to gain a better insight. Vettel's wing was damaged in the third practice session, and Webber's sole surviving example was removed and given to his teammate. 1959 J. Brabham, 1960 J. Brabham [26] In 2017, Vettel was eliminated in the first heat for the individual competition,[211] but went on to win the Nations' Cup for Germany by himself with his seventh victory,[212] after his teammate Pascal Wehrlein was injured earlier in a crash. [238] Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Vettel expressed an intent to boycott the September's Russian Grand Prix had the race gone ahead as planned. [85] Vettel broke the record for the most pole positions in a season at the season finale in Brazil, after he clinched his 15th pole of the year. Team principal Mattia Binotto explained there was "no specific reason" for the decision, though both parties noted it was an amicable agreement. [226] In 2021, he named his Aston Martin AMR21 car after Honey Ryder, a character from the James Bond film, Dr. 1966 J. Brabham Both had their first taste of racing at the Kerpen karting track near Cologne, not far from the Nrburgring. ", "Sebastian Vettel wins in Belgium after dramatic crash", "Italian GP: Lewis Hamilton passes Kimi Rikknen to win thriller, Vettel fourth", "Russian GP: Where has Ferrari's pace gone? [74] The race was red-flagged with few laps remaining, which allowed teams to change their tyres; when the race was restarted under the safety car, Vettel was able to retain the lead and win. He was not just dubbed this for his nationality but also because of his driving style, his concentration and the hands-on role he plays behind the scenes with his team of engineers. [119] Vettel mentioned he would like to drive for Ferrari at some point in his career and was already rumoured in 2012 to have a non-binding pre-contract, with options, to join them in 2014. 1981 N. Piquet [129], Vettel came home second in the Italian Grand Prix, his first race with Ferrari at the team's home soil. 1999 M. Hkkinen, 2000 M. Schumacher He mentioned that he wanted to be a singer like Jackson, but realised that he did not have the voice. [71] Following John Surtees in the 1964 season and James Hunt in 1976, this was the third time in Formula One history that the title winner had not topped the championship table until after the last race. [66], At the British Grand Prix, both Vettel and Webber's cars were fitted with a new front wing design. 1973 J. Stewart [205], Vettel missed the first two races of the 2022 season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia after testing positive for COVID-19; he was substituted by Aston Martin's reserve driver Nico Hlkenberg. [82] Vettel won the following race in Korea to become the second driver to take at least ten wins in a season after Michael Schumacher. [101] He started the last race in Brazil with a 13-point cushion against Alonso. [182] In Italy, Vettel spun at the Ascari chicane and when he re-entered the track, he made contact with Racing Point's Stroll. Vettel was born on 3 July 1987 in Heppenheim, West Germany,[2] to Norbert and Heike Vettel. 1989 A. Prost, 1990 A. Senna The two collided, putting Vettel out of the race, with neither driver accepting responsibility for the collision. He also won the category the following three years.

Vettel ignored the team orders and passed Webber for the lead. [179] Midway through the race, a snap of oversteer caused him to run wide onto the grass. Tutti i nomi", "The name's Ryder, Honey Ryder for Vettel's Aston Martin F1 car", "Sebastian Vettel joins Formula One's young fast set with Monza victory", "Sebastian Vettel refuses to compare himself to Michael Schumacher", "Bambi 2014: Stars and heroes meet in Berlin", "It's Official: Fernando Alonso leaving Ferrari to be replaced by Sebastian Vettel in 2015", "Vettel sticks around after DNF in British Grand Prix to help collect litter at Silverstone", "How Vettel created a buzz by constructing 'hotel for bees' close to the Red Bull Ring", "Vettel criticises 'immense' F1 calendar: We mustn't neglect people", "Sebastian Vettel organised women-only kart race in Saudi Arabia", "Vettel and three others reprimanded for not removing LGBTQ+ rights t-shirts before anthem", "Vettel: I won't race in the Russian F1 GP after Ukraine invasion", "Vettel's starring role on BBC debate show was worth the risk", "Sebastian Vettel: Formula One is ready for an out gay driver", "The F1 team principals' top ten drivers", "Formula 1 team bosses vote Sebastian Vettel as best driver for 2013", "Vettel takes European Sportsman of Year honours", "Vettel named European Sportsperson of the Year", "Sebastian Vettel tops PAP Best Athlete Poll for second year in a row", "A Sebastian Vettel il Premio Confartigianato Motori 2015", "Starterliste 2005 Formula 3 Euro Series", "Starterliste 2006 Formula 3 Euro Series", "Statistics Drivers Pole positions In a year", "Statistics Drivers Lead Laps in a year", "Lewis Hamilton's record-breaking season and the targets that are next on his list", "Record-breaking Sebastian Vettel The German has been rewriting the F1 history books", "Age and the F1 driver from teenage stars to fast 50-year-olds", Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsman of the Year, BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year, Faceted Application of Subject Terminology, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sebastian_Vettel&oldid=1099116504, BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year winners, Pages using small with an empty input parameter, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 19 July 2022, at 02:43. ", "Ferrari on fire: What we learned from 2019 F1 Pre-Season Testing", "Valtteri Bottas wins Australian GP after Lewis Hamilton overtake", "Valtteri Bottas beats Lewis Hamilton to Azerbaijan win", "Sebastian Vettel beats Lewis Hamilton to Canada pole position", "Vettel penalty hands record 7th Canada win to Hamilton", "Lewis Hamilton wins in Canada as Sebastian Vettel penalised", "Max Verstappen wins German Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton crashes", "Italian GP: Charles Leclerc wins in Italy after 'dangerous' defending on Lewis Hamilton", "Singapore GP: Sebastian Vettel beats team-mate Charles Leclerc", "Russian GP: Lewis Hamilton wins after Sebastian Vettel ignores team orders", "Typhoon Hagibis: Japanese Grand Prix qualifying postponed", "Valtteri Bottas wins Japanese Grand Prix as Mercedes win constructors' title", "Brazilian GP: Max Verstappen wins thriller as Ferrari's Vettel and Leclerc collide", "Lewis Hamilton dominates in Abu Dhabi GP for 11th victory of the season", "Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow and Sebastian Vettel decide not to extend their contract", "Hamilton penalised for collision as Bottas wins", "Mask-less Vettel, Red Bull chat prompts FIA letter", "Lewis Hamilton takes dominant Styrian Grand Prix win after Ferraris collide", "Winners and losers of 2020 Formula One season", "Sebastian Vettel joining Aston Martin for F1 2021 replacing Sergio Perez", "Sebastian Vettel: One crash, two penalties and five penalty points a tricky Aston Martin debut in Bahrain", "No alarm bells at Aston Martin over Vettel's troubled debut for team", "Verstappen triumphiert in Monaco und knpft Hamilton WM-Fhrung ab", "Vettel "over the moon" after Aston Martin score historic first F1 podium", "Vettel loses second-place finish in Hungary after disqualification for fuel sample issue", "Sebastian Vettel wins 2021 Crypto.com Overtake Award", "Bahrain Grand Prix: Sebastian Vettel ruled out after positive Covid-19 test", "Formula 1: Sebastian Vettel to miss Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to Covid-19", "Le Mans winner and F1 star Nico Hlkenberg to race at ROC 2015 in London", "Vettel defeats Kristensen to win 2015 Race of Champions", "Juan Pablo Montoya wins 2017 Race of Champions in Miami", "Sebastian Vettel, Germany win seventh Race of Champions Nation's Cup", "Vettel, Schumacher lose Race of Nations Cup final to Team Nordic", "Vettel beaten by Schumacher as Guerra wins Race of Champions", "Guerra Beats Duval to Win 2019 Roc in Mexico, Vettel Takes Skills Trophy", "Race of Champions 2022: Sebastien Loeb schlgt Sebastian Vettel im Finale", "Vettel's helmet gets an 'Italian job' for Monza", "F1i Pic of the Day: Vettel goes full 'Niki' with special tribute lid", "F1, Vettel ha scelto: la nuova Ferrari SF1000: si chiama Lucilla. [30] Nevertheless, he managed to compete in the 2006 Masters of Formula 3 at Zandvoort the following weekend, where he finished in sixth place. He acknowledged that the already fragile relationship between the two drivers had further broken down as a result of the incident. [221] By the end of the 2013 season, he had used 76 different helmet designs throughout his career.[222].

1986 A. Prost [26], Vettel drove for ASL Mcke Motorsport in the 2005 Formula 3 Euro Series. [34] Vettel became the then-youngest Formula One driver to participate in a Grand Prix weekend at 19 years and 53 days. 2019 L. Hamilton, 20092010: Championship runner-up and youngest world champion, 20112012: Successful title defences, most poles in a season, 20132014: Quadruple world champion, nine wins in a row, and departure from Red Bull, 20152016: Returning to the top step, a threat to Mercedes, 20172018: Championship challenges ending in disappointment, Complete Formula Renault 3.5 Series results, Fdration Internationale de l'Automobile, Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, List of Formula One Grand Prix wins by Sebastian Vettel, Youngest Formula One World Drivers' Champion, Shortest time elapsed before gaining a penalty, "2022 FIA Formula One World Championship Entry List", "Statistics Drivers Podiums By number", "Statistics Drivers Pole positions By number", "British Grand Prix 2011: revealed the real Sebastian Vettel", "Vettel: Formula 1's undervalued whizz kid", "No personal sponsors for champion Vettel", "French Grand Prix diary Vettel shows off wedding ring while Hamilton skips media day", "Sebastian Vettel wird zum ersten Mal Vater", "Exclusive Sebastian Vettel Q&A: Right now, nothing is lost", "After Two Daughters, Sebastian Vettel Blessed With a Baby Boy", "Kimi hurmasi Vettelin yksi piirre ylitse muiden", "Vettel en franais: "Quelle anne difficile, content que a se termine! [181] At the German Grand Prix, Vettel was unable to qualify after a turbo issue, which meant he would start in last place. He became European Sportsperson of the Year by the International Sports Press Association in 2010,[248] and by the Polish Press Agency in 2012[249] and 2013. [165] He bounced back in Great Britain, after he passed Bottas in the last laps to take victory. [79] It was only the second time in the sport's history that a driver had finished second or higher in each of the first nine races of a season and won at least six of them. For the 2017 Italian Grand Prix he changed the German flag stripe on his helmet to an Italian flag stripe in celebration of Ferrari's home race. 1965 J. Clark 1969 J. Stewart, 1970 J. Rindt Vettel struggled with reliability issues throughout winter testing, and forced him to retire at the opening Australian Grand Prix. [69] Vettel went into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi with a 15-point deficit to Alonso and a 7-point gap to Webber. [97] At the Japanese Grand Prix he took his second career grand slam and coupled with Alonso's retirement, he cut the gap down to just four points. "[47], At the wet Italian Grand Prix, Vettel became the youngest driver in history to win a Formula One Grand Prix, aged 21 years and 74 days. It made a huge difference not only to the speed he could unlock but also to his ability to do so consistently. 2015 L. Hamilton [76] Nevertheless, he took pole with the fastest qualifying lap in Valencia Street Circuit's history. He was also awarded the 2009 British Racing Drivers' Club Johnny Wakefield Trophy for "setting the fastest race lap of the season on the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit". He blamed Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat for the collision, labelling him a "madman" and described his overtaking manoeuvre as "suicidal". [239], In May 2022, he appeared on the BBC One political topical debate programme Question Time to discuss a variety of issues including climate change, energy dependency and Brexit. [133], After a third-place finish at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix,[134] Vettel's participation in Bahrain ended without starting as his car broke down on the formation lap. "[231], After Schumacher was severely injured in a skiing accident in late 2013, Vettel was on hand to collect the Millennium-Bambi Award for Schumacher's life achievements on his behalf in 2014. 2008 L. Hamilton Vettel lives in Thurgovia, Switzerland, amongst other racing drivers and is a fan of German football team Eintracht Frankfurt. [158] For the second consecutive year, Vettel began the season with victory in Australia, after he took the lead while pitting under the virtual safety car. [139] Although he achieved seven podium finishes during the season, Vettel did not win any races in 2016. Vettel's car for 2014, the Red Bull RB10, was baptised Suzie. It featured increased engine power, revised bodywork and lower suspension than the standard model. For the 2014 season and beyond, drivers picked a unique car number to use for the remainder of their Formula One career; Vettel chose the number five. [105] He won the race, though not without controversy. 2018 L. Hamilton [235] Furthermore, Vettel has been critical of how F1 races are scheduled, stating that races that are geographically proximate to each other should be held on consecutive weekends to reduce emissions from travelling. [94] Vettel then retired at the Italian Grand Prix due to an alternator failure, which saw the gap to leader Alonso grow to 39 points with seven races remaining. 1954 J. M. Fangio [180] Vettel crossed the line in first place but lost his victory as a result of the penalty.

He was accepted into the Red Bull Junior Team in 1998,[24] and won various titles, such as the Junior Monaco Kart Cup in 2001. [118] Vettel replaced Alonso and partnered his friend Kimi Rikknen. [145] Vettel's lead at the top of the standings increased to 25 points after the Monaco Grand Prix, Ferrari's first victory at the circuit since Schumacher won there in 2001. 2003 M. Schumacher [225] The car he drove for his first full season in 2008, the Toro Rosso STR3, was named Julie, followed by Kate and Kate's Dirty Sister (2009), Luscious Liz and Randy Mandy (2010), Kinky Kylie (2011), Abbey (2012) and Hungry Heidi (2013). [91] Three races without a podium place followed, before he retired at the European Grand Prix after an alternator failure, dropping him to fourth in the standings. [99], During qualifying at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Vettel was told to stop the car due to a fuel pump issue; he was forced to start from the pit lane. [184] The following race, in Russia, Vettel went from third place on the grid to first place in the first corner. [137] At the Mexican Grand Prix, Vettel attempted to overtake Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, but after Verstappen ran off the track and rejoined ahead of him, Vettel verbally attacked him and race director Charlie Whiting, for which he later apologised. [209] He won his very first individual Race of Champions title that year, beating Tom Kristensen in the final. [138] Vettel then blocked Red Bull's Ricciardo by moving in the braking zone, and was given a ten-second penalty and two points on his licence. [95][96] He won next race in Singapore, as he kept the lead until the 2-hour race limit was reached. [38] He started in seventh position and finished in eighth to become the then-youngest driver to score a point in Formula One. [203] He ended the season in 12th place in the Drivers' standings, ahead of teammate Stroll. [103] He also became the third driver to acquire three consecutive championships, after Juan Manuel Fangio and Schumacher. [200] In the fifth race of the season, Vettel scored his first points for the team with a fifth-place finish in Monaco. [128] Vettel was in third place in Belgium when his right rear blew at high speed on the penultimate lap, likely ending any title chances given Hamilton's win. [194] He ended the season in a disappointing 13th place in the Drivers' standings, with a third place in Turkey as his best result. [232] In 2014, Vettel cited Schumacher as one of his inspirations in becoming a Scuderia Ferrari driver: "When I was a kid, Michael Schumacher in the red car was my greatest idol and now it's an incredible honour to finally get the chance to drive a Ferrari. In the next round at Spa-Francorchamps, his finger was almost sliced off by flying debris following an accident, and he was expected to be out for several weeks. [216] He reached the individual final in 2022 but was beaten by Sbastien Loeb.[217]. [193] The following race, at the Styrian Grand Prix, Vettel retired on the opening lap with rear wing damage following a collision with Leclerc. He overcame steering issues and held on for victory, which gave him a 14-point lead over Hamilton. [140], His third season at Ferrari started with victory in Australia, his first in 18 months. [100] From last place, Vettel fought his way back to finish in third place. [124] He followed that up with winning the Malaysian Grand Prix,[125] his first race victory for over a year and the first win for Ferrari for almost two years. 1961 P. Hill In an interview on Top Gear, he stated that he is a fan of British comedy such as Little Britain and Monty Python's Life of Brian. The Scuderia has a great tradition in this sport and I am extremely motivated to help the team get back to the top. Vettel is the youngest World Champion in Formula One; he also has the third-most race victories (53) and podium finishes (122) and fourth-most pole positions (57).[3][4][5]. [80], Vettel's run of fourteen successive front-row starts and eleven successive top two finishes ended at his home race, where he qualified third and finished fourth. 1998 M. Hkkinen 1972 E. Fittipaldi [78] During the race, Vettel held off Webber for second place, who ignored a radio message from team principal Christian Horner to hold position. [220] Vettel started his 2013 campaign with a design in honour of Felix Baumgartner, for his world record Red Bull Stratos space jump in October 2012. [202] Vettel also finished second in Hungary, but was later disqualified, after his car failed to provide the one litre sample of fuel required. He led the championship when he was called up permanently by the BMW Sauber Formula One team. At the Monaco Grand Prix, Vettel scored his first points of the season with a fifth-place finish, after qualifying 17th. However, Vettel crashed into Webber under safety car conditions, forcing both cars to retire.

1962 G. Hill [244] Vettel was also voted Formula One driver of the year in 2009,[245] 2011[246] and 2013[247] by the team principals, initiated by the Autosport magazine. 1995 M. Schumacher [39], BMW released him in July 2007 to join Red Bull's Scuderia Toro Rosso, replacing Scott Speed from the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix onwards, as Vettel was already under contract to Red Bull Racing. [54], At the start of the 2009 season, Vettel replaced the retired David Coulthard at Red Bull Racing. ", "Nutcases, kids, Multi 21: The very best quotes and quips from Mark Webber's career", "2007 Formula 1 Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix Starting Grid", "Formula 1's greatest drivers. He additionally won the DHL Fastest Lap Award in 2009, 2012 and 2013. Vettel was promoted to Red Bull in 2009. [127] At the halfway point of the season, Vettel was 42 points behind championship leader and Mercedes driver Hamilton. 1994 M. Schumacher [117], In October, Red Bull had announced that Vettel would be leaving the team at the end of the season to join Scuderia Ferrari, one year before his contract was due to expire. I will put my heart and soul into making it happen. [175], After showing impressive pace throughout pre-season testing in Barcelona, Vettel and his new teammate Charles Leclerc headed to Australia with many pundits believing they had the car to beat for the 2019 season.

Hunt [236] He also held an all-women karting event during the weekend of the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix,[237] and wore the pride flag at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix despite being reprimanded. [51] Toro Rosso team boss Gerhard Berger said: "As he proved today, he can win races, but he's going to win World Championships. [122] Vettel instead made his first appearance in November, completing nearly 100 laps in the 2012 car around the test track of Fiorano.[123]. [29] He also competed in the 2006 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, where he finished first and second at Misano in his first two races. Vettel dominated with his first hat-trick of 2011, and won his sixth race out of eight. 2007 K. Rikknen [19] Kimi Rikknen, his teammate from 2015 to 2018, is a close friend. [149] Vettel started from pole in Hungary, and maintained the lead. 1997 J. Villeneuve [107] Vettel claimed that he was not sorry for winning and that if the situation presented itself again, he would have passed Webber despite the order, adding that he felt Webber did not deserve to win the race. No. [214] Vettel was eliminated in the group stages of the individual competition,[215] although he won the ROC Skills Challenge. [251] In 2015, he received the Confartigianato Motori Award for Driver of the Year. [68], With the 12 finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Vettel and Webber secured Red Bull Racing's first World Constructors' Championship. [83]He also helped to secure Red Bull's second successive World Constructors' Championship. Helmet manufacturer Arai have stated Vettel 'retires' a helmet design after each win, although he does not need to win to sport a new design. [58] Vettel won the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the first ever day-night race, to finish second in the World Drivers' Championship standings behind Jenson Button. It was the first time in Formula One history that both Ferraris retired from the first lap of a Grand Prix. ", Sebastian Vettel, on being booed on the podium. 1988 A. Senna 1963 J. Clark [106] Team principal Horner, although unhappy with Vettel's actions, pointed out that Webber had defied team orders on several previous occasions. [130] He then took his first pole with the team at the Singapore Grand Prix,[131] Ferrari's first pole for three years. [11] Vettel is also a fan of the Beatles, collecting several records, including Abbey Road and his favourite song being "Drive My Car". Vettel received a five-second time penalty from the stewards, who believed he had returned to the track "in an unsafe manner and forced [Hamilton] off track". [77] The FIA implemented another rule change at the British Grand Prix, targeting the blown diffusers. After the race, he swapped the number one and two signs in front of Hamilton's Mercedes and the empty spot that was supposed for his own car, as Vettel parked his car at the start of the pit entry. [161] At the Chinese Grand Prix, he was hit by Verstappen in the latter stages of the race, which caused both to spin. "The only other driver that asks us a lot of questions is Michael Schumacher.

Vettel was promoted to open-wheel cars in 2003, and was given a chance by Derrick Walker to test a Reynard Motorsport Champ Car in a two-day private test at the Homestead road course. 1952 A. Ascari Vettel retired soon after with a MGU-K problem. [49] It would also be Toro Rosso's only win. He began strongly at the Australian Grand Prix, running in second for the majority of the race. As part of the Red Bull Junior Team, Vettel appeared for Toro Rosso later that year and was kept as a full-time driver for 2008. [40] It was also announced that he would drive for Toro Rosso in 2008 alongside Sbastien Bourdais. [163], At the Canadian Grand Prix, Vettel won for the third time in 2018 and for the 50th time in his career, becoming only the fourth man to reach a half-century of wins. [9][10] His childhood heroes were "The three Michaels": Michael Schumacher, Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson.