Sebastian Vettel’s Best Moments In Formula 1

Editorial credit: PatrickLauzon photographe / Shutterstock.com

Legend Sebastian Vettel announced before the 2022 summer break that he would retire at the end of the season, after 16 years in Formula 1. In all these years, the German has won 4 consecutive world championships with Red Bull, 53 victories, 122 podiums, and 57 pole positions, making him one of the best drivers in history.

The German, who is the third driver with the most victories in history, has driven for 5 teams, demonstrating in each one that he is a very special driver, tremendously fast and committed to his goals, not only on the track but also off it, being one of the most loved drivers on the grid.

Vettel has been one of the great protagonists of the last decade and a half and has left us with some unforgettable moments that have gone down in the history books. That said, let\’s look back at some of these incredible moments from his remarkable career.

1. Youngest Driver To Score Points In F1– 2007 United States GP

After being a reserve driver for the BMW Sauber F1 team in 2006, Sebastian Vettel made the jump to F1 at the age of 19 years, 11 months, and 14 days at the 2006 United States Grand Prix after Robert Kubica\’s serious accident at the Canadian GP.

The young German proved right from the start that he was worthy of being in Formula 1, qualifying seventh and finishing eighth on Sunday, making him the youngest driver in history to score points to date.

His great result earned him a seat at Toro Rosso from the Hungarian GP in 2008, where he would consolidate his position as one of the great promises of the category.

2. Magnificient Maiden Win – 2008 Italian GP

Vettel did not take long to triumph in Formula 1, as already in his first full season in the category the young German stood on the top of the podium at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, which was marked by rain from start to finish. Vettel scored five top 10 finishes that season with Toro Rosso, although the car was far from a frontrunner, but struggled in the midfield.

On Saturday, Vettel completed a fantastic lap in the rain to take pole position, making him the youngest pole sitter in history at the time at 21 years and 72 days.

On Sunday, the young German did not crack under pressure and, against all odds, led from start to finish in the rain with a superb drive, taking the win and becoming the youngest GP winner in history at the time.

In this way, Red Bull\’s \”B\” team in Formula 1, Toro Rosso, triumphed in Formula 1 before the \”A\” team, and consolidated Vettel as a guaranteed star of the future, after one of the most incredible drives in F1 history.

3. Youngest F1 Champion – 2010 Abu Dhabi GP

2010 was one of the best and most closely contested seasons in history, being the first time in F1 history that four drivers were title contenders in the final round, held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

In the race, Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso made an early pit stop, which was terrible in the long run, as they got stuck in traffic, while Vettel and Hamilton avoided it by stopping later. Thus, Vettel won the race, followed by Hamilton, while Alonso and Vettel finished seventh and eighth respectively.

This result was enough for the young German to win the title, only 4 points ahead of Alonso, being the first time he had led the championship, and becoming, at 23 years and 133 days, the youngest world champion in history, a record that still stands. This was the beginning of his era of dominance in Formula 1 together with Red Bull.

4. Incredible Comeback From The Pit Lane – 2012 Abu Dhabi GP

With 3 races remaining in the season, Sebastian Vettel went into the Abu Dhabi GP leading the championship by 13 points over Fernando Alonso\’s Ferrari. Both drivers were looking for their third title and fought side by side throughout the season, which was very close.

Things got difficult on Saturday, as although the German qualified third while Alonso sixth, he was disqualified from qualifying by the FIA for failing to provide a liter of fuel sample for analysis post-qualifying, so on Sunday, he would start last, from the pitlane.

Likewise, the race did not start well either, as Vettel suffered front wing damage after hitting a DRS sign during the Safety Car period, having to change it in a pit stop and rejoining the race in P21.

However, from that moment on, the German began an incredible comeback, making his way through the grid and completing overtaking after overtaking until he spectacularly passed Jenson Button\’s McLaren and finished third, while Alonso was second. In this way, the title hopes were still alive.

5. Winning The Title The Hard Way – 2012 Brazilian GP

By the final round of 2012, Vettel had a 13-point lead over Alonso, so the Spaniard had to get at least a third place even if the German failed to score. Similarly, a fourth place was good enough for Vettel even if Alonso won.

On Saturday, Vettel was fourth, while Alonso was eighth. However, the race, in wet-dry conditions, did not start well for the German, who lost some positions at the start while Alonso gained some. And things got worse when the German had a contact in turn 4, spinning and ending up at the back of the grid, while Alonso moved up to third.

However, Vettel, with a damaged sidepod and after losing 30 seconds, gave everything to catch the rest of the grid. The rain and the Safety Car allowed him to catch the rest, as he made his way up the grid, being the fastest driver on track. In the final stages of the race, his compatriot Schumacher let him pass to get the sixth place he needed to secure the title.

Thus, after one of the most chaotic races of F1, in which there was everything, Alonso crossed the finish line in second place, while Vettel came in sixth, so the German won his third title in a row, by only 3 points ahead of the Spaniard.

6. Third Grand Slam – 2013 Singapore GP

Despite having Ferrari and Mercedes as rivals during the first half of the 2013 season, Red Bull and Vettel absolutely dominated the second half of the season, in what was a perfect harmony between driver and car. The most dominant Grand Prix of all was the Singapore GP, which was the thirteenth round of the championship.

Vettel had won two races in a row, and in Singapore, he continued his winning streak. The German took the pole position, led every lap, set the fastest lap, and won by more than 32.6 seconds, thus achieving his statistically most dominant victory.

7. Nine In A Row – 2013 Brazil GP

In 2013, Vettel was proclaimed 4 times world champion at the Indian GP, with 4 rounds left to finish the championship. As we said before, Vettel was unrivaled during the second half of the season, far outperforming all his rivals.

The German won the last 9 races of the season, breaking the record for most consecutive victories in history, previously held by Alberto Ascari and Michael Schumacher with 7.

This second half of the 2013 Championship was one of Vettel\’s peak moments in Formula 1, showing absolute control of his car. By the same token, it was also the end of an era, as Vettel himself said, as for the following season major changes would be introduced that would put an end to Red Bull\’s dominance in favor of Mercedes.

8. Iconic Battle With Alonso – 2014 British GP

The 2014 season, with the introduction of the V6 turbo hybrid engines, marked the end of the dominant era of Vettel and Red Bull, and the beginning of the dominant era of Mercedes, with Ferrari and the energy drinks team one step below.

Although Vettel did not quite adapt to the 2014 Red Bull and was beaten by his new teammate Daniel Ricciardo, the German showed his excellent skill and speed at times, such as during his great battle for fifth place with fellow world champion Fernando Alonso in the final laps of the British GP.

It was a relentless and clean fight that lasted more than ten laps, in which neither wanted to yield. While Vettel attacked him, Alonso did not give up his place, fighting the position back to the German on numerous occasions, braking later and closing the gap.

In the end, on lap 47, Vettel went around the outside of Brooklands corner, but once again Alonso fought back, and the German switched to the inside on the exit of the corner, driving wheel to wheel with the Spaniard without touching, and into the inside of the next corner.

Thus, he completed a magnificent overtake after a hard and long fight that went down in the history books.

9. First Win In Red – 2015 Malaysian GP

After a weak 2014 season with Red Bull, the team with whom he had achieved so much, Vettel changed colors in 2015, signing for Ferrari and thus following in the footsteps of his idol and compatriot Michael Schumacher, looking to take the Prancing Horse back to the glory days.

With the Maranello team, Vettel was quick to show that, after a bad season, he was back at the level of the best. In the second round of the championship, the Malaysian GP, known for its extreme conditions and changeable weather, the German qualified second, behind Lewis Hamilton\’s Mercedes.

In the race, Ferrari\’s strategy was key to Vettel\’s victory. After an early pit stop by both Mercedes, Vettel stopped later, and with fresher tires overtook Nico Rosberg. After that, the German made a second stop to put on soft tires, from which he came out ahead of Rosberg and behind Hamilton.

The Englishman had old hard tires, and Vettel had no trouble overtaking him, thus materializing a fantastic first victory with Ferrari, and returning to the top of the podium for the first time since 2013.

10. Double Overtaking In The Pit Lane – 2016 Chinese GP

A Safety Car period during the 2016 Chinese GP saw a number of drivers enter the pits to take advantage of the neutralization of the race and change tires. Due to the narrow and tricky pit entry of the Shanghai track, some drivers were very slow while entering.

Vettel, who also took the opportunity to change tires, was slowed down by these drivers, but the German refused to go so slow, and knowing that the pit lane still counted as part of the circuit until the official pit entry line, he made an ingenious and excellent maneuver, overtaking Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz before setting the speed limiter.

This tricky move helped him finish second in the race, something only the greatest dare to do.

11. Dominance Against The Silver Arrows – 2018 Bahrain GP

During the first half of the 2018 season, Vettel and Hamilton were fighting closely for the championship, exchanging victories. Ferrari started the season very strong but gradually fell off the pace.

Vettel won the season opener in Melbourne, and in the second round, in Bahrain, he continued his good run against the superior Mercedes. The German took pole, almost two-tenths ahead of teammate Kimi Raikkonen in second place, while the Mercedes were third and fourth.

In the race, Vettel had a good and smooth start and held the lead until he pitted, which was overtaken by the Mercedes. On lap 25 he returned to the lead after overtaking Hamilton, and led the rest of the race, holding off pressure from Bottas during the final phase. It was a fantastic victory that foreshadowed a very close championship.

12. Victory In Hostile Territory – 2018 British GP

In the tenth round of the 2018 season, the British GP, Sebastian Vettel was leading the championship over Lewis Hamilton by just one point, with the first part of the season being very close and tense between the two.

On Saturday, Hamilton took the pole position in front of his home fans, but on Sunday it was the German who took his revenge. Vettel overtook Hamilton a few seconds into the race, as the German had a better start than the Briton. The other Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen, made contact with Hamilton at Turn 3, spinning him and sending him to the back of the grid.

As Hamilton was making his way through the grid, Vettel was leading the race until he was overtaken by Bottas after making a second pit stop during a Safety Car period. However, the German, on fresher tires, overtook Bottas again on lap 46, crossing the finish line first, while Hamilton was second.

With this victory, Vettel became the first Ferrari driver to win at Silverstone since Fernando Alonso in 2011 and broke Mercedes\’ 5-race winning streak at the British Grand Prix.

13. Super Pole At Home – 2018 German GP

For the 2018 German GP, Vettel showed that he still was one of the best drivers on the grid in one lap, qualifying excellently at the Hockenheimring circuit in front of his home fans.

In Q3, it looked like it was going to be Valtteri Bottas who would get the pole position, to everyone\’s surprise, as the Finn had completed a really fast lap. However, Vettel still had a chance, and during the final seconds of the session, he crossed the finish line, completing a perfect lap and taking home the pole by more than two-tenths faster than Bottas, something truly special for the German.

On Sunday, however, the picture changed completely, with Vettel retiring after making a mistake while leading the race, while Hamilton won after starting from the fourteenth position.

14. Masterclass Drive In The Rain – 2019 German GP

2019 was a difficult season for Vettel. Following Kimi Raikkonen\’s departure from Ferrari, young up-and-comer Charles Leclerc replaced him, and put the German in serious trouble, beating him at the end of the season.

During that season, Ferrari had a competitive car, although quite far from the performance of Mercedes, the great dominator, which arrived at the German GP having won all but one race.

The German GP was marked by rain, and Vettel started the race from the back of the grid after an engine penalty. However, on Sunday, Vettel drove a masterful race in wet conditions that went down in the history books.

The German gained six positions in the opening lap and gradually gained more positions as numerous drivers made mistakes or crashed due to the tricky track conditions. After making four pit stops, Vettel managed to catch the front pack and finished an astonishing second in front of his home crowd, just seven seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen, who had started second.

15. Last Podium With Ferrari – 2020 Turkish GP

Before the start of the 2020 season, Vettel announced that he would leave Ferrari at the end of the year, after 6 seasons with the Prancing Horse, without having achieved the long-awaited fifth title. That year, Vettel experienced perhaps his toughest year in the category, with Ferrari\’s new star Charles Leclerc being far superior to him and Ferrari sidelining him.

Moreover, by 2020 Ferrari had a very uncompetitive car, barely fighting with midfield cars, which did not help the German\’s confidence at all. By the fourteenth round of the championship, the Turkish GP, Vettel arrived with only 18 points, while Leclerc, who had established himself as the new first driver, had 85.

The weekend was marked by rain, and the slippery asphalt of the track, which had been recently renewed, making conditions very difficult. Vettel qualified twelfth, while Leclerc was fourteenth.

On Sunday, after an incident at the first corner, Vettel climbed incredibly to the third position, maintaining a great pace throughout the race. On lap 41 he was overtaken by Leclerc, taking fourth position.

However, on the last lap, while Leclerc was fighting for second position with Sergio Perez, the Monegasque made a mistake, and Vettel, who was following them closely, took advantage of it to snatch the third position at the last moment, thus obtaining one last podium with Ferrari.

16. Incredible Last Podium In F1 – 2021 Azerbaijan GP

After leaving Ferrari at the end of 2020, Vettel embarked on the Aston Martin project, which was returning to Formula 1 as a constructor after more than 60 years away, following the purchase of the Racing Point team (previously Force India).

There were high hopes for Aston Martin, as they had a large investment behind them. However, the team\’s first season was a bit disappointing, as the car struggled all season in the midfield. However, on the narrow streets of Baku, Vettel made the most of the car, outperforming it and proving that he was still worthy of being in Formula 1, in one of the best drives of his racing career.

The German qualified in eleventh place and quietly climbed positions as the laps went by, helped also by the retirement of some drivers ahead of him. Vettel was running fourth when Verstappen suffered an accident that forced him to retire, causing a red flag and a restart with two laps to go.

The German started third and overtook a position thanks to Hamilton\’s over-braking in the first corner. Vettel withstood the attacks of the rivals during those two laps and completed a fantastic second position, achieving Aston Martin\’s first podium in Formula 1, and the German\’s last in the category.

\"\" — Editorial credit: cristiano barni / Shutterstock.com

Conclusion

Sebastian Vettel is one of the great legends of Formula 1. The German is one of the best drivers in history, and he proved it since his early days in the category. With Red Bull he materialized his legend, winning four titles in a row, and later at Ferrari, he proved that he was still performing at a high level, although the car was never at Mercedes’ level.

2022 is his last season in Formula 1, and when he leaves, he will leave a big void on the grid that will be difficult to replace.