Sebastian Vettel’s easygoing manner and schoolboy looks disguise the fact that underneath he is a very serious racing driver. Having just embarked upon his first full season of Formula 1 his rise to the sport’s premier category has been swift and impressive.
Born in Heppenheim, Germany in 1987, Sebastian began his career in karting. After multiple championship wins he graduated to the Formula BMW championship in 2003, where he earned the Rookie of the Year award. Staying in the series for a second season he utterly dominated it, winning 18 of the 20 races.
A step up to European Formula 3 came in 2005 where he acquitted himself well, finishing fifth overall while Lewis Hamilton ran away with the title. Williams gave the young German his first test in a Formula 1 car, followed by a test for BMW Sauber. Another season in European Formula 3 with the ASM team yielded second place in the championship.
During 2006 Sebastian also contested three races in the World Series by Renault, taking a pole and a win. Meanwhile, BMW Sauber had noticed the young German’s talent and made him their Friday driver at the Turkish Grand Prix meeting. Astonishingly, he topped the timesheets that day. BMW Sauber signed him up to be their test and reserve driver for the 2007 Formula 1 season.
2007 started with Sebastian competing in the World Series by Renault again but his big chance finally arrived at the US Grand Prix. Regular driver Robert Kubica was still recovering from the effects of an enormous accident in Canada, meaning that Vettel was handed a race seat for the weekend. He did not disappoint, qualifying seventh and finishing eighth. In the process he became the youngest driver to score a World Championship point in Formula 1 history.
Later in the season the Toro Rosso team had an acrimonious split with their driver Scott Speed, and Vettel was called in to replace the American in Red Bull’s junior squad. Demonstrating his ability in the wet he ran third in the rain-hit Japanese Grand Prix before driving into the back of Red Bull’s Mark Webber while following the safety car. Webber had looked like a possible race winner and Vettel was inconsolable after his mistake. It didn’t affect his speed however, as he came home in a fine fourth position in the wet Chinese Grand Prix. His 2007 season was capped off by winning the Nation’s Cup at the Race of Champions as team-mate to Michael Schumacher.
For 2008 Vettel was paired with Sebastien Bourdais in the Toro Rosso team. Despite Bourdais' reputation - the Frenchman won four consecutive Champcar titles - Vettel proceeded to outperform him. At Monza he became the youngest pole-sitter in Formula 1 history, driving superbly on a wet track. The race was also wet and Vettel performed faultlessly to become the youngest ever winner at just 21 years of age. A move to Toro Rosso's sister team Red Bull beckons for 2009, but it may not be long before the big guns come calling.
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