162 Facts About Vettel

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 2010 to 2013.

Vettel is the youngest World Champion in Formula One; he has the third-most race victories and podium finishes (122), and fourth-most pole positions (57).

Vettel started his Formula One career as a test driver for BMW Sauber in 2006, making a one-off racing appearance in 2007.

Vettel signed for Ferrari for 2015 and became Mercedes' and Lewis Hamilton's closest challenger in two title fights in 2017 and 2018, although he finished both years as runner-up.

Vettel left Ferrari to race with Aston Martin for the 2021 and 2022 seasons, before announcing his plans to retire from Formula One at the end of the 2022 season.

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Vettel was born on 3 July 1987 in Heppenheim, West Germany, to Norbert and Heike Vettel.

Vettel 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 Starkenburg-Gymnasium with a respectable grade.

Vettel mentioned that he wanted to be a singer like Jackson, but realised that he did not have the voice.

Vettel is a fan of the Beatles, collecting several records, including Abbey Road and his favourite song being "Drive My Car".

Vettel lives in Thurgovia, Switzerland, amongst other racing drivers and is a fan of German football team Eintracht Frankfurt.

Vettel married childhood friend Hanna Prater at a private ceremony in early 2019, and they have three children.

Vettel began karting at the age of three, and began racing in karts series in 1995 at the age of eight.

Vettel 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 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.

Vettel drove for ASL Mucke Motorsport in the 2005 Formula 3 Euro Series.

Vettel was placed fifth in the final standings with 63 points and won the Rookie Cup.

Vettel 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 for BMW Sauber in 2006, and participated in the 2006 Formula 3 Euro Series, finishing as runner-up.

Vettel led the championship when he was called up permanently by the BMW Sauber Formula One team.

Vettel became BMW Sauber's third driver at the 2006 Turkish Grand Prix, 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.

Vettel 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.

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Vettel started in seventh position and finished in eighth to become the then-youngest driver to score a point in Formula One.

However, Vettel crashed into Webber under safety car conditions, forcing both cars to retire.

Vettel finished a career-best fourth a week later at the Chinese Grand Prix, having started 17th on the grid while in mixed conditions.

At the Monaco Grand Prix, Vettel scored his first points of the season with a fifth-place finish, after qualifying 17th.

Toro Rosso's technical director Giorgio Ascanelli explained that something changed at the European Grand Prix in Valencia: "Suddenly Vettel understood something about how to drive an F1 car quickly.

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.

Vettel led for the majority of the Grand Prix and crossed the finish line 12.

Vettel's victory led the German media to dub him "Baby Schumi".

Vettel was named 2008 Rookie of the Year at the Autosport Awards.

At the start of the 2009 season, Vettel replaced the retired David Coulthard at Red Bull Racing.

Vettel began strongly at the Australian Grand Prix, running in second for the majority of the race.

Vettel went on to take pole position and the race win at Chinese Grand Prix; Red Bull Racing's maiden pole and win.

Vettel won the Japanese Grand Prix from pole position, leading every lap.

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.

Vettel scored his third fastest lap of the year, drawing him level with teammate Mark Webber.

However, as Vettel had more second fastest laps, he won the 2009 DHL Fastest Lap Award.

Vettel took the first pole position of the 2010 season at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Vettel led most of the race but as a result of a spark plug failure, Vettel finished in fourth place.

At the Australian Grand Prix, Vettel was appointed as a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.

At the Turkish Grand Prix, Vettel was running second behind Webber when he made a passing move on his teammate.

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Vettel's wing was damaged in the third practice session, and Webber's sole surviving example was removed and given to his teammate.

Aged 23 years and 98 days, Vettel became the youngest Grand Prix driver to win at the same track on two occasions.

At the inaugural Korean Grand Prix, Vettel led the first 45 laps before retiring with engine failure, handing victory to championship rival Fernando Alonso.

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.

Vettel won the Grand Prix from pole to become the youngest World Drivers' Champion in the sport's history, as Alonso only finished in seventh place.

Vettel started the 2011 season with wins in Australia and Malaysia, before a second-place finish at the Chinese Grand Prix due to poor tyre management, possibly related to his inability to properly communicate with his team, as his radio was broken.

In Monaco, Vettel led the race but due to another radio malfunction, the Red Bull pit crew was not prepared when he came in.

Vettel switched to a one-stop strategy and stuck with one set of soft tyres for 56 laps.

Vettel was caught by Alonso and Button as his tyres deteriorated, but neither were able to pass him.

Vettel dominated with his first hat-trick of 2011, and won his sixth race out of eight.

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.

Vettel won the following race in Korea to become the second driver to take at least ten wins in a season after Michael Schumacher.

Vettel took his eleventh victory of the season in the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, leading every lap from pole position, as well as setting the race's fastest lap to claim his first grand slam.

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.

Vettel completed the year with 15 poles, 11 victories, and 17 podiums from 19 races; Vettel earned a record total of 392 points.

Vettel started the 2012 season with a second place at the Australian Grand Prix, before he finished outside the points in Malaysia following a collision with backmarker Narain Karthikeyan.

Vettel crossed the line in first place at the Bahrain Grand Prix to go top of the championship standings.

In Germany, Vettel finished second behind Alonso but received a 20-second time penalty after the race, as he was off the track when he overtook Button; Vettel dropped back to fifth.

Vettel started in 10th place but finished second in Belgium to climb up to second place in the championship.

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.

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Vettel won next race in Singapore, as he kept the lead until the 2-hour race limit was reached.

Vettel started the last race in Brazil with a 13-point cushion against Alonso.

Vettel became the third driver to acquire three consecutive championships, after Juan Manuel Fangio and Schumacher.

Vettel started the first two races of the 2013 season on pole position, and at the Malaysian Grand Prix, he lapped over 2.

Vettel ignored the team orders and passed Webber for the lead.

Webber was furious after the race and said that Vettel "will have protection as usual and that's the way it goes".

Team principal Horner, although unhappy with Vettel's actions, pointed out that Webber had defied team orders on several previous occasions.

Vettel acknowledged that the already fragile relationship between the two drivers had further broken down as a result of the incident.

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.

Vettel bounced back to win his home race in Germany for the first time.

Vettel set the record for most consecutive race wins with nine and he became only the third man after Alberto Ascari and Jim Clark to take consecutive grand slams.

Vettel sealed his fourth world title at the Indian Grand Prix.

Vettel struggled with reliability issues throughout winter testing, and forced him to retire at the opening Australian Grand Prix.

Vettel signed off the year by becoming the first defending champion to fail to win a race during a season since Jacques Villeneuve in 1998.

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.

Vettel was denied an early release from his Red Bull contract to test the 2014 Ferrari car in Abu Dhabi.

In spite of this, Vettel was present at the Ferrari test – although not driving the car – but Red Bull did not enforce any sanctions.

Vettel instead made his first appearance in November, completing nearly 100 laps in the 2012 car around the test track of Fiorano.

Vettel made his Ferrari debut by finishing third in the Australian Grand Prix.

Vettel followed that up with winning the Malaysian Grand Prix, his first race victory for over a year and the first win for Ferrari for almost two years.

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Vettel won the Hungarian Grand Prix to remain a championship contender after he started from third on the grid.

Vettel dedicated his victory to the driver Jules Bianchi, who died the week prior from injuries sustained in 2014.

At the halfway point of the season, Vettel was 42 points behind championship leader and Mercedes driver Hamilton.

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.

Vettel came home second in the Italian Grand Prix, his first race with Ferrari at the team's home soil.

Vettel then took his first pole with the team at the Singapore Grand Prix, Ferrari's first pole for three years.

Vettel went on to win the race, and with Hamilton retiring, he closed to within 49 points with seven races remaining.

Vettel ended the season in third place, however, with three wins and 13 podiums; he declared the season as a 'miracle'.

At the Chinese Grand Prix, Vettel collided with teammate Raikkonen on the first lap, but both were able to continue.

Vettel blamed Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat for the collision, labelling him a "madman" and described his overtaking manoeuvre as "suicidal".

At the Russian Grand Prix, Vettel retired on the first lap after two consecutive collisions with Kvyat.

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.

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.

In Russia, Vettel took his first pole position in 18 months and with Raikkonen alongside him, Ferrari had their first front row lock out since the 2008 French Grand Prix.

Moments later, Vettel pulled alongside and hit his Mercedes as they prepared for a restart, for which he received a ten-second stop-go penalty.

Vettel took full responsibility, issuing a public apology and committing to devote personal time over the next 12 months to educational activities across a variety of FIA championships and events.

Vettel started from pole in Hungary, and maintained the lead.

Vettel overcame steering issues and held on for victory, which gave him a 14-point lead over Hamilton.

Mercedes dominated after the summer break and Vettel lost the championship lead at the Italian Grand Prix, which was followed by a first-lap retirement in Singapore after collision with Raikkonen and Verstappen.

Vettel finished in fourth place, but crashed with Williams' Lance Stroll on the cool-down lap; neither would be penalised.

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In Mexico, Vettel became the fourth driver in Formula One history to claim 50 pole positions.

In Bahrain, Vettel maintained the lead from pole through the first round of pit stops and held off Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas despite being on old soft tyres to take a record fourth victory at the circuit.

Vettel limped home in eighth place, with his championship lead reduced to nine points.

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.

The following race in France, Vettel lost the championship lead following a collision with Bottas.

Vettel bounced back in Great Britain, after he passed Bottas in the last laps to take victory.

Vettel led his home race until he slid off the track and hit the wall in the latter stages as rain started to fall, as he had clipped the sausage curb a few laps before, breaking a part of his front wing, causing understeer and loss of downforce; he won in Belgium, however, in which he passed Hamilton for the race victory.

Vettel claimed his first ever podium in Mexico but the World Drivers' Championship went to Hamilton for a second consecutive year.

Vettel took pole position in Canada; his first pole in 17 races.

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".

Vettel crossed the line in first place but lost his victory as a result of the penalty.

At the German Grand Prix, Vettel was unable to qualify after a turbo issue, which meant he would start in last place.

Vettel received a 10-second stop-go penalty and finished in 13th place.

At the Singapore Grand Prix, Vettel won on a circuit Ferrari were expected to struggle at.

The following race, in Russia, Vettel went from third place on the grid to first place in the first corner.

Vettel took pole position in Japan, 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.

Vettel tried to pass his teammate immediately but the two Ferraris collided, resulting in another retirement for Vettel.

Vettel finished fifth in the World Drivers' Championship, and was outscored by a teammate for only the second time across a season.

SF1000 lacked pace as Vettel finished the season's opening race in Austria in 10th place.

The following race, at the Styrian Grand Prix, Vettel retired on the opening lap with rear wing damage following a collision with Leclerc.

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Vettel ended the season in a disappointing 13th place in the Drivers' standings, with a third place in Turkey as his best result.

Vettel joined Aston Martin for the 2021 season, replacing Sergio Perez.

Vettel finished second in Hungary, but was later disqualified, after his car failed to provide the one litre sample of fuel required.

Vettel ended the season in 12th place in the Drivers' standings, ahead of teammate Stroll.

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 Hulkenberg.

In July 2022, Vettel announced his retirement from Formula One at the end of the 2022 season.

Vettel competed in the 2007 Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium, representing the German team alongside Michael Schumacher, winning the Nations' Cup title.

Vettel teamed up with Schumacher from 2008 to 2012, winning the Cup on every occasion.

Vettel returned to the 2015 Race of Champions, representing Germany together with Nico Hulkenberg.

Vettel won his very first individual Race of Champions title that year, beating Tom Kristensen in the final.

In 2017, Vettel was eliminated in the first heat for the individual competition, but went on to win the Nations' Cup for Germany by himself with his seventh victory, after his teammate Pascal Wehrlein was injured earlier in a crash.

Vettel was eliminated in the group stages of the individual competition, although he won the ROC Skills Challenge.

Vettel reached the individual final in 2022 but was beaten by Sebastien Loeb.

At the age of eight, Vettel wanted Sebastian the crab from The Little Mermaid on his helmet.

Some designs were small changes to his original Red Bull design, while others were completely new designs, such as the one he used at the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix: Vettel had a special white-red helmet design, with black kanji and hiragana for "gives you wings".

At the 2012 Italian Grand Prix, Vettel celebrated his 50th helmet design with a 'rusty' matte look and 50 tallies, indicating his 50 helmet designs in Formula One.

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.

Vettel said: "It's important to have a close relationship with a car.

Vettel continued this tradition with Ferrari and christened his 2015 Ferrari SF15-T Eva, followed by Margherita Gina (2017), Loria (2018), Lina (2019), and Lucilla (2020).

Vettel was not just dubbed this for his nationality but because of his driving style, his concentration and the hands-on role he plays behind the scenes with his team of engineers.

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Vettel played down the comparison stating he wanted to be the "New Vettel".

Vettel began driving in his garden lapping the garden many times before he could legally take to the roads, and said his passion for cars was nurtured by watching Schumacher compete.

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.

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.

Vettel has demonstrated an interest in the environment and other social justice issues.

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.

Vettel held an all-women karting event during the weekend of the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and wore the pride flag at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix despite being reprimanded.

The following month, Vettel appeared on the cover of Attitude, voicing support for an LGBTQ driver competing in Formula One.

In June 2022, while participating in the Canadian Grand Prix, Vettel denounced Canada's mining of the Alberta oil sands by wearing a T-shirt and helmet patch calling it "Canada's climate crime".

Vettel agreed with the "hypocritical" label but said those personal attacks risk missing what he called the "bigger picture" of the climate crisis.

Vettel was named Rookie of the Year at the annual Autosport Awards in 2008.

In 2009, Vettel was awarded the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy, for his achievements in the 2008 season.

Vettel was 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".

Vettel was voted Formula One driver of the year in 2009, 2011 and 2013 by the team principals, initiated by the Autosport magazine.

Vettel additionally won the DHL Fastest Lap Award in 2009, 2012 and 2013.

Vettel became European Sportsperson of the Year by the International Sports Press Association in 2010, and by the Polish Press Agency in 2012 and 2013.

Furthermore, Vettel was named the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year in 2013.