Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel (German pronunciation: [ze?basti?an ?f?tl?]; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who races in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari. He is a four-time Formula One World Champion, having won consecutive titles in 2010–2013 with Red Bull Racing, and is regarded by many as one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport. Vettel moved to Ferrari for the 2015 season, and is due to leave the team at the end of 2020. In addition to holding a number of 'youngest' records in Formula One, Vettel holds the record for the most consecutive race wins (9), as well as accumulating the third most race victories (53), podium finishes (120) and the fourth-most pole positions (57).

Vettel started his Formula One career as a test driver for BMW Sauber in 2006 and made his racing debut with the team at the 2007 United States Grand Prix, replacing the injured Robert Kubica. Already part of the Red Bull programme, Vettel joined Toro Rosso later in the season, and was kept as a driver for 2008. In his first full season in Formula One, the then 21-year-old became the youngest pole-sitter and race winner at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, the latter record would later be broken by Max Verstappen in 2016. Vettel was promoted to Red Bull for the 2009 season, during which he won four races en route to becoming the youngest-ever World Drivers' Championship runner-up.

The following year, Vettel became the youngest driver ever to win the World Drivers' Championship, also helping Red Bull win their first World Constructors' Championship. He followed up his first championship with three more titles in succession, becoming the youngest double, triple and quadruple world champion in Formula One. The 2010 and 2012 titles were decided in the final round; topping a four-way title battle in Abu Dhabi in 2010, and beating Fernando Alonso by three points in 2012, while the 2011 and 2013 titles saw Vettel dominating the seasons to secure the titles early. Ending his long-term association with the team, Vettel activated a clause to end his contract with Red Bull at the end of the 2014 season.

Soon after, it was announced that Vettel had signed a three-year contract with Ferrari for the 2015 season. In his first season with Ferrari, Vettel won three races and was the closest challenger to the Mercedes drivers. The next year however, he finished fourth in the 2016 championship in another winless season. Vettel and Ferrari enjoyed a resurgence in 2017 and 2018, winning a number of races and topping the standings a number of times in close World Championship battles with Lewis Hamilton. However, both years saw his title hopes end in Mexico as he finished both seasons as runner-up. Vettel endured a more difficult season in 2019, highlighted by a controversial time penalty costing him a win in Canada, although he rebounded to win in Singapore. Vettel is due to leave the Ferrari team at the end of 2020 after they were unable to agree on contract terms.