Read all about Formula 1’s youngest ever Champion.
Assignment: Sebastian Vettel – A Short Biography
23rd March 2011
*SEBASTIAN VETTEL* – Biography
Date of Birth: 3rd July 1987, in Heppenheim, Germany.
Nationality: German.
Resides: Switzerland.
Siblings: 2 older sisters, Melanie and Stefanie; 1 younger brother, Fabian.
Relationship status: Currently in a relationship Hanna Prater, a childhood friend.
*EARLY INFLUENCES:*
Sebastian has himself mentioned in one article that he did not fancy himself to be the best learner at school. He is very intelligent, so probably did not utilise all of his talents at a school level. It is often the case with successful people that they do not always “shine” at school level.
Three of his heroes when growing up were: Michael Schumacher, Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson. At one stage the young Sebastian wanted to be a singer, but he soon realised that he did not have the voice for this.
A quote from Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz:
“Vettel is one of the young guys with extraordinary potential… He is fast, he is intelligent, and he is very interested in the technical side.”
Those words were to prove prophetic, when in 2010, at the age of 23, Sebastian Vettel became the youngest driver in the history of Formula 1 to win a Driver’s World Championship (racing for Red Bull Renault Racing).
(Quote Courtesy of Wikipedia.com)
*VETTEL’S RACING TIMELINE:*
*FORMULA 1 STATISTICS:*
Podiums: 19
Points: 381
GP’s entered: 62
World Championships: 1
Highest Race Finish: 1st (x10)
Highest Grid Position: 1st (x15)
*Youngest driver in the history of Formula 1 to be crowned Champion (2010) (Age 23yrs).
*FORMULA 1 CAREER:*
2010: Crowned Formula 1 Driver’s World Champion. 5 x Wins, 3 x Retirements, 10 x Pole Positions. Vettel has to date scored 10 out of Red Bull Renault Racing’s career tally of 15 wins – not bad going!
2009: 4 x Wins: China (maiden Win and Pole for RBR), Silverstone, Suzuka and Abu Dhabi.
2008: 1st Formula 1 career victory at a wet Monza track (youngest Formula 1 race winner); at the time he was racing for the Torro Rosso team (RBR’s “B” team).
8th overall – 35 points.
2007: Formula One Debut: races as a stand-in for Robert Kubica with the BMW team, and finishes 8th (Indianapolis Grand Prix). Youngest Formula 1 points scorer. As a result of that brilliant drive, he was offered a fulltime seat with the Torro Rosso team; he raced from the Hungarian Grand Prix to the end of the season, securing a 4th place finish in the Chinese Grand Prix.
*FORMULA 3 EURO SERIES*
2006: 2nd in Formula 3 Euro Series. 3 x Wins. Named BMW Sauber’s test and reserve driver – 5 sucessful 3rd driver outings.
2005: 5th in Formula 3 Euro Series. 5 x Podiums. Declared Best Rookie Driver.
1st Formula Test with BMW Williams at Jerez Circuit, Spain.
*FORMULA BMW*
2004: Formula BMW ADAC Champion. 18 x Wins. 20 x Podiums.
2003: 2nd in Formula BMW ADAC Championship. 5 x Wins.
*KARTING*
2001: Wins both the German and European Junior Karting Titles.
*SOME QUICK STATS:*
*He is the youngest driver to drive at a Grand Prix meeting: Friday Practice for the Turkish Grand Prix, 2006 (age 19 years and 53 days).
*Youngest driver to lead a Formula 1 race: Japanese Grand Prix 2007.
*The 6th youngest driver to start a Grand Prix, and the youngest driver to score points in a Grand Prix (Indianapolis Grand Prix 2007).
*The youngest Formula 1 driver to win Pole Position – 2008 Italian Grand Prix.
And… also the quickest driver to get a fine in Formula 1: he was fined 9 seconds into his Formula One career for speeding in the Pit Lane ($1000).
*POST RACE QUOTES (after Vettel won the 2010 F1 Driver’s World Championship)*
Vettel: “But if you know Kimi, you know the one big advantage he has is that he just does his own thing, which was my target all along.”
(Comparing his pre-race situation to that of a former World Champion, Kimi Raikkonen).
(Quote courtesy of Planet-F1.com)
Christian Horner: “The first time Sebastian has led the Championship is at the last race of the year, but arguably it’s the only time you need to lead it.”
“He’s the youngest ever World Champion, and a very deserving World Champion.”
“It’s down to what he’s done on the circuit, and the whole team is hugely proud of what he’s achieved.”
(Quote courtesy of Redbull.com)
Bibliography: (sources consulted)
www.redbull.com
www.formula1.com
www.planet-F1.com
www.monstersandcritics.com
www.google.com
