Sebastian Vettel (; born 3 July 1987
) is a German racing driver who competed in
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
from 2007 to 2022 for
BMW Sauber,
Toro Rosso,
Red Bull,
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
, and
Aston Martin. Vettel is one of the most successful drivers in Formula One history and has won four
World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won consecutively from to . Vettel holds the record for being the
youngest World Champion in Formula One. He also has the third-most
race victories () and
podium finishes (), and fourth-most
pole positions ().
Vettel started his Formula One career as a
test driver
In motorsport it is common to have one or more test drivers who work with the mechanics to help develop the vehicle by testing new systems on the track.
In specific motorsports Formula One
In Formula One, the term third driver is used to designa ...
for BMW Sauber in , making a one-off racing appearance in . 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 . Vettel was promoted to Red Bull in . With Red Bull, Vettel won four consecutive titles from to , the first of which made him the sport's youngest World Champion. In 2013, he set the record for the most
consecutive race wins with nine.
Vettel signed for Ferrari for replacing
Fernando Alonso and became
Mercedes' and
Lewis Hamilton's closest challenger in two title fights in and , although he finished both years as runner-up. He parted ways with Ferrari at the end of the 2020 season to race with
Aston Martin for the and seasons, before retiring from Formula One at the end of the 2022 season.
Early and personal life
Vettel was born on 3 July 1987 in
Heppenheim, West Germany,
to Norbert and Heike Vettel. He has one younger brother, Fabian, a racing driver, and two older sisters: Melanie, a dental technician, and Stefanie, a physiotherapist for disabled children.
Vettel suggested in an interview that he was "terrible" at school, but he passed his ''
Abitur'' at Heppenheim's with a respectable grade. His childhood heroes were "The three Michaels":
Michael Schumacher,
Michael Jordan and
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...
. He mentioned that he wanted to be a singer like Jackson, but realised that he did not have the voice. Vettel is also a fan of
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
, collecting several records, including ''
Abbey Road'' and his favourite song being "
Drive My Car". In an interview on ''
Top Gear'', he stated that he is a fan of British comedy such as ''
Little Britain Little Britain may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Little Britain'' (sketch show), a British radio and then TV show
** ''Little Britain USA'', an American spin-off
* "Little Britain", a song by Dreadzone from the 1995 album ''Second Light''
* ...
'' and ''
Monty Python's Life of Brian''. Vettel lives in
Thurgovia
Thurgau (; french: Thurgovie; it, Turgovia), anglicized as Thurgovia, more formally the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts and its capital is Frauenfeld.
Thurgau is part ...
, Switzerland, amongst other racing drivers and is a fan of
German football team
Eintracht Frankfurt. Vettel has described himself as competitive, private and impatient. He also appeared in advertisements for
Head & Shoulders, and provided the voice of character Sebastian Schnell in the German version of the movie ''
Cars 2''.
Vettel married childhood friend Hanna Prater at a private ceremony in early 2019, and they have three children. In 2016, ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' estimated that his annual income was $41 million.
Kimi Räikkönen, his teammate from 2015 to 2018, is a close friend. Besides his native German, Vettel speaks English, French, Finnish and Italian. In July 2022, he created his
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
account, having long eschewed
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social me ...
. Vettel's first Instagram post was to announce his retirement from Formula One at the end of the 2022 season.
Early career
Vettel began
karting at the age of three, and began racing in karts series in 1995 at the age of eight. He was accepted into the
Red Bull Junior Team in 1998, and won various titles, such as the
Junior Monaco Kart Cup in 2001. Vettel was promoted to
open-wheel car
An open-wheel single-seater (often known as formula car) is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have th ...
s in 2003, and was given a chance by
Derrick Walker to test a
Reynard Motorsport Champ Car
Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., or Champ Car, a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing Teams ...
in a two-day private test at the
Homestead road course.
A year later, he won the
2004 Formula BMW ADAC championship with 18 victories from 20 races.
[
Vettel drove for ASL Mücke Motorsport in the ]2005 Formula 3 Euro Series
The 2005 Formula 3 Euro Series season was the third championship year of Europe's premier Formula Three series. The championship consisted of ten rounds – each with two races – held at a variety of European circuits. Each weekend con ...
. He was placed fifth in the final standings with 63 points and won the Rookie Cup. He tested for the Williams Formula One team later that year as a reward for his Formula BMW success. Vettel then went on to test for the BMW Sauber Formula One team.
Vettel was promoted to test driver
In motorsport it is common to have one or more test drivers who work with the mechanics to help develop the vehicle by testing new systems on the track.
In specific motorsports Formula One
In Formula One, the term third driver is used to designa ...
for BMW Sauber in 2006, and participated in the 2006 Formula 3 Euro Series
The 2006 Formula 3 Euro Series season was the fourth championship year of Europe’s premier Formula Three series. As in previous years, there were ten rounds – each with two races – held at a variety of European circuits. Each weeke ...
, finishing as runner-up. He also competed in the 2006 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, where he finished first and second at Misano in his first two races. 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. Nevertheless, he managed to compete in the 2006 Masters of Formula 3 at Zandvoort the following weekend, where he finished in sixth place.[
Vettel competed in the 2007 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, and took his first win at the Nürburgring. He led the championship when he was called up permanently by the BMW Sauber Formula One team.
]
Formula One career
BMW Sauber (2006–2007)
Test driver and debut
Vettel became BMW Sauber's third driver at the 2006 Turkish Grand Prix
The 2006 Turkish Grand Prix (officially the 2006 Formula 1 Petrol Ofisi Turkish Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race, held on 27 August 2006. The 58-lap race, which was the fourteenth round of the 2006 Formula One season, and the second Turk ...
, when former incumbent Robert Kubica replaced Jacques Villeneuve as second driver for the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix. On his testing debut, Vettel set the fastest time in the second Friday free practice. Vettel became the then-youngest Formula One driver to participate in a Grand Prix weekend at 19 years and 53 days. He also set a record for collecting his first fine in nine seconds into his career, as Vettel exceeded the pitlane speed limit on the way to the track. In his second testing session at the 2006 Italian Grand Prix
The 2006 Italian Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Gran Premio Vodafone d'Italia 2006) was a Formula One motor race held on 10 September 2006 at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. It was the fifteenth race of the 2006 Formula One season, and was won ...
, he set the fastest time in both Friday practice sessions.
Vettel was confirmed as BMW's test driver for . Following Kubica's crash at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix, Vettel was named his replacement at the 2007 United States Grand Prix. He started in seventh position and finished in eighth to become the then-youngest driver to score a point in Formula One.
Toro Rosso (2007–2008)
Youngest polesitter and first race win
BMW released him in July 2007 to join Red Bull's Scuderia Toro Rosso, replacing Scott Speed
Scott Andrew Speed (born January 24, 1983) is an American race car driver who has competed in numerous disciplines, including open-wheel, stock car, and rallycross racing.
In , Speed became the first American driver to race in Formula One sin ...
from the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix
The 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Magyar Nagydíj 2007) was the eleventh race of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship and was held on 5 August 2007 at the Hungaroring racing track in Mogyoród, Pest, Hungary. It was ...
onwards, as Vettel was already under contract to Red Bull Racing. It was also announced that he would drive for Toro Rosso in alongside Sébastien Bourdais.
In the rain-affected at Fuji, Vettel worked his way up to third, behind Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber, and seemed to be on course for his and the team's maiden podium finish. However, Vettel crashed into Webber under safety car conditions, forcing both cars to retire. Webber said after the race: "It's kids isn't it. Kids with not enough experience – you do a good job and then they fuck it all up". Vettel was initially punished with a ten-place grid penalty for the following race, but this was lifted after a spectator video on YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...