Name:
Sebastian VettelBorn:
July 3, 1987 in Heppenheim, Germany
Team:
Red BullHeight:
5'7"Weight:
132 lbs.
Hobbies:
Motorsport, mountain biking, swimming
Previous F1 Teams:
- 2007 BMW Sauber (1 race)
- 2007 - 2008 Toro Rosso
- 2009 Red Bull
Victories:
5Background:
Sebastian raced go karts from 1995 to 2002, before turning to cars in 2003 in the German Formula BMW championship, where he finished second in his first year. He won the championship the following year. In 2005 he was rookie of the year in the Formula 3 Euroseries, but he did not win any races. That was the year that Lewis Hamilton won most of the races and the title. Sebastian raced in the same series in 2006, but with mixed results as he had also begun his career in Formula 1 as a test driver.
His Career Thus Far:
Although he was supported by Red Bull, Sebastian had strong ties with BMW from his early days in racing. When Jacques Villeneuve left the BMW Sauber team before the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix, BMW transferred its reserve driver, Robert Kubica, to a full time seat. Sebastian was hired as the reserve driver in his place.
That year, Sebastian became the youngest driver to test on a Friday at a Grand Prix when he took up his duties at the Turkish Grand Prix and then the Italian Grand Prix. He set the fastest time in the second Friday session in Turkey and then he set the fastest time in both Friday sessions in Italy.
Vettel Scores a Point:
After Robert Kubica had a massive crash at the Canadian Grand Prix in 2007, Sebastian was called in to replace him at the U.S. Grand Prix the following week. Sebastian qualified seventh, and finished his first race in eighth position, scoring a point. That made him the youngest driver ever to score a point, at only 19. Jenson Button had scored a point at 20.
Vettel Joins Toro Rosso:
Just when it looked as if Sebastian had completed all of his racing duties for 2007, the Toro Rosso team had a crisis and Scott Speed left the team. As Sebastian was a Red Bull driver, he was called in to replace the American starting with the Hungarian Grand Prix. He then signed a contract through the following, 2008, season as well.
Vettel Wins A Race:
In 2008 Vettel defied all predictions, scoring a pole position and then a victory at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza to become the youngest pole scorer and the youngest race winner in F1 history.
Character:
Sebastian turned 20 a few weeks before joining the Toro Rosso team. After a difficult start to the 2008 season, he soon got the upper hand on his teammate, multiple Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais. By the end of the season, Vettel had proven that he was quite possibly the next phenomenal F1 wonder boy. He is cheerful, direct and articulate. He usually responds to failure by keeping his head on his shoulders and trying harder next time, without complaining. And this is just the attitude that will build success for him in F1, where fortunes rise and fall as quickly as the next race.
