 Profile
Sebastian Vettel is a breath of fresh air in Formula One. When he contested his first session as official BMW Sauber F1 Team Friday driver in the 2006 Turkish Grand Prix, he was just 19 years old, thereby making it into the F1 record books as youngest driver ever to have been involved in a Grand Prix weekend.
But this record isn't the only reason why the German is such a sought-after interview partner for the journalists from across the world. With his relaxed and witty manner, Sebastian - who is always quick to make a joke - has what it takes to captivate anyone he speaks to. The young gun gives the impression that adapting to the challenges of the pinnacle of motor racing is really nothing special.
On his first day as Formula One driver, he recorded the fasted lap time at the Turkish Grand Prix. "It is natural to think the quickest driver may be the best," he says, "But an important part of this Friday programme is to be on low fuel and have new tyres. It is very rare that anyone but a Friday driver is quickest on the first day, so that should speak for itself."
Sebastian was regarded as a high-flyer even before his impressive Formula One debut. In his second year as a Formula BMW driver, he set new stunning records on the way to securing the title: 18 wins in 20 races, 15 pole positions, 16 fastest race laps and 387 points scored - of a maximum of 400 points. In the Formula 3 Euro Series and many Renault World Series rounds, he also demonstrated his talents, proving that he was ready for bigger challenges. Mario Theissen gave him the opportunity to take the next step by offering him the job of the BMW Sauber F1 Team Friday tester for the final five rounds of the 2006 season.
Sebastian delivered in fine style, convincing Theissen and the team to sign him for this task for the 2007 season when he again will be providing the team with vital feedback for the tyre choice and set-up work. At the same time, he will be battling it out for the title in the 2007 Renault World Series.
Career
Sebastian Vettel inherited the motor racing gene from his father, an enthusiastic hill-climb racer who also competed in karting events. Young Sebastian was naturally keen to try and follow in his father's footsteps. "It didn't take long before I was given my first kart," recalls the BMW Sauber F1 Team's Friday driver. "I lapped our yard again and again and didn't want to get out of the kart. And I was just three years old."
At the age of seven, Sebastian made his debut appearance as a racing driver - and soon celebrated the first of his kart racing successes. In 1997, at the age of ten, he secured his first German title. It wasn't long before he was dominating his opponents. Consequently, he switched to racing on European circuits in 1999, quickly adapting to the new challenge. Just two years after his international debut, Sebastian clinched the European kart title.
Sebastian covered his first kilometres in a Formula racing car at the wheel of a BMW. In 2003, his maiden Formula BMW season, he took the Rookie title, and in the following season, out-classed his opponents by winning 18 of the season's 20 races. In 2005, he made the next step, moving up to the Formula 3 Euro Series. Again he secured the Rookie title in his first season. Following his wins in this year's rounds at Hockenheim and the Nürburgring, Sebastian took second place in the 2006 championship.
Now, the young gun also wants to impress in the pinnacle of motor racing as BMW Sauber F1 Team test and reserve driver, and he certainly appears to have what takes.
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