F1 LEGENDS | SEBASTIAN VETTEL
Hello F1 fans, I hope you are doing well…. Today, I welcome you to my series called “F1 LEGENDS” in which I discuss the life of legendary Formula 1 driver and their journey to F1 and how they made their name synonymous to everybody with their skill, talent, and ingenuity.
This is my “2nd installment” of this series in which I’ll be talking about the four-time F1 world champion “Sebastian Vettel” if you want to read the other installment then click here…
So, in this installment, I’ll go through every important point of Vettel's life that made him not only the world champion but also the most beloved Formula One driver among other F1 drivers and fans…So, let’s travel back in time and start visiting the key areas to understand, how he became a world champion…🏆
ORIGIN
Sabastian Vettel was born on July 3, 1987, in Heppenheim, Germany. He had a small family including his father “Norbert”, mother “Heilke Vettel”, and he was the third child of the Vettel family, the first two children are the oldest daughters named “Stefine” & “ Melaine” and the fourth child is “Fabian” the younger brother of Sabastian Vettel.
His father was a carpenter by profession and by passion, he was a kart racing enthusiast, however, when Sebastian was born, his father introduced him to the kart racing world, in which he found his passion. Sabastian said in an interview that
“I wasn not good at school but I was good at racing and winning”
Thereby, by the age of three, Vettel was already driving a kart, and by the time he was eight, he was competing in karting competitions.
GO-KART RACING DAYS
As a child, Vettel was a natural talent, with an incredible ability to read the track and make split-second decisions. He quickly rose through the ranks of karting, winning numerous championships at the regional and national levels. At the age of 12, he was discovered by former F1 driver “Gerhard Berger”, who was impressed by Vettel’s skills and offered to help him in his career.
NEXT STEP, FORMULA THREE EURO SERIES
In 2003, Vettel made his debut in single-seater racing, competing in the Formula BMW ADAC Championship with the help of “Berger”. He won the championship in his rookie year, which caught the attention of the motorsport world. The following year, Vettel moved to the Formula 3 Euro Series, where he finished fifth in the championship.
BMW SAUBER (2006-2007), A STEP IN FORMULA ONE WORLD
In 2006, Vettel made his debut in Formula One, driving for the BMW Sauber team as a third driver or as a reserve driver. Throughout the year he set several fastest lap records in practice sessions of the Hungarian Grand Prix and Italian Grand Prix which made him the “youngest Formula One driver to ever participate in a Grand Prix”. He impressed everyone with his speed and his ability to handle the pressure of racing at the highest level.
Also, during the season, the main driver of BMW Sauber crashed and Vettel was given an opportunity to race on the grid, therefore, he started at 7th position on the grid and with his first debut in a race he finished in 8th position and became the “youngest driver to score point in Formula One" at the age of 19 years.
So, the next following year in 2007, Vettel decided to move to the Toro Rosso team, where he achieved his first victory at the Italian Grand Prix.
PROMOTION TO TORO ROSSO (2007-2008)
Toro Rosso is a sister team of Redbull that hired Vettel as a replacement for “Scott Speed”. The days of Sebastian Vettel in Toro Rosso are like a roller coaster ride…with the promotion to Toro Rosso, he began his 2007 season with good hopes and dreams, and in the Japanese Grand Prix with mixed weather conditions his talent shined bright when he got the pole position in the qualifying and became the “youngest pole setter” of F1 but then during the race a controversial crash happened that lost him that race.
However, during the season he raced in many Grand Prix’s but somehow he messes things up or the car went down due to some technical issues, however, by working on his weaknesses and collaborating with his team in improving the car, he, once again, got back on the track and this time he finished at his career-best fourth position in “Chinese Grand Prix” and in the end won the “Italian Grand Prix” with wet conditions and became the “youngest Formula One Grand Prix driver” at the age of 21 years old and due to this extraordinary feat, he was awarded by the Autosport Awards “2008 Rookie of the year” and due to his victories and personal best records, German media named him “Baby Schumi”… (As in, Schumacher baby because Michcal Schumacher was the fastest and famous superstar in the Formula world and Vettel’s favorite idol.)
At the end of the season, the Redbull owner tipped the Redbull team that
“Vettel is one of the young guys with extraordinary potential… He is fast, he is intelligent and his inguinety make him a future F1 star”
After that, he was promoted to the Redbull team alongside the famous “Mark Webber”…
FROM ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY, REDBULL (2009-2014)
In 2009, Vettel joined the Red Bull Racing team, where he replaced the F1 driver “David Coulthard”. During the 2009 season, he won most of the Grand Prix’s with second position and some with pole position, also, during the season he won the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which is the first day & night race with pole position. Also, in the same year, he did so many fastest laps that he was awarded by DHL the “DHL Fastest Lap Award”.
After 2009, he begin his 2010 season with multiple wins and some inaugural 1–2 Redbull wins which led him to win his first world championship. He followed that up with three more championships in the years 2011, 2012, and 2013 consecutively, becoming one of the “most dominant drivers in the history of the Formula One sport”. However, at the end of 2014, he was offered a seat in the most favorite team of all time “FERRARI” which fulfilled his dream of a lifetime.
A STRUGGLING TIME IN FERRARI (2015-2020)
2015, was a new era of new technological advancements in which car engines are combined with renewable sources of energy to limit carbon emission, which is generally known as the “Hybrid Era” in Formula one and all the car manufacturers faced difficulties in achieving a perfect balance of fuel and the re-generative electric current system called “KERBS”.
However, this new regulation from FIA was disturbing for some teams but at the same time brings some teams into the limelight like “Mercedes”, which phenomenally built a perfect hybrid engine that opened up the way to victories for them and made them dominant in the fight for world championship titles.
As the new era brings hope for Mercedes at the same time it brings havoc for Ferrari, however, earlier seasons like 2015, 2016 & 2017 are good for them in which they were the only threat to the silver arrows (Mercedes).
However, in the latter years till 2020, they weren’t able to win a single race without any failure in their car… Which shook his confidence and hurt him in the long run… After his last season of 2020 in Ferrari he decided to leave the team and joined a new team called “Aston Martin”.
LAST DAYS IN FORMULA ONE WITH ASTON MARTIN (2021-2022)
After joining Aston Martin he reflected on his past experiences and his current experiences with Aston Martin which are not good at all, then after the summer break of 2022 he publically announced his retirement from Formula 1 World on his account on Instagram saying that;
“I want to focus on my married life and I want to see my kids growing and to be with them through every thick or thin and I think this is the end for me”…
And after the last race of the 2022 season in Abu Dhabi he thanked everybody the drivers, the team, and the fans that made him what he is and left the people on the grid & in the paddock with lots of good memories and precious moments to remember him by…
FINAL THOUGHTS
Sebastian Vettel is one of the greatest drivers in the history of Formula One. With four world championships, 53 Grand Prix wins, and 122 podium finishes, he had earned his place among the all-time legends of the F1 sport that took him years of hard work, dedication, and perseverance to achieve his dreams.
Throughout his career, Vettel has faced numerous setbacks, but he has never lost his determination or his passion for racing. He has always been willing to take risks, push himself to the limit, and never give up on his dreams. His journey to the top of the F1 world is sheer proof of his dedication, love for racing, and unwavering commitment not only toward his passion but also to making F1 great for everyone.
However, he still continues to inspire young drivers around the world by doing social services and by playing an active role in making the world better for everybody…
However, we may have lost an F1 driver but haven’t lost the legend yet….!! 👍
Tell me what intrigued you in this story, by writing in the comments section, and follow me for interesting content… For now Goodbye!! 👋… and as always thanks for reading my story!! 👍
