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Sebastian Vettel at the 2018 British Grand Prix. photo by Engyles

Top 10 Interesting Facts About Sebastian Vettel

Sabastian Vettel was born to a German racing driver on 3 July 1987. Currently, he is competing in Formula one for Aston Martins, having previously driven for BMW Sauber, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, and Ferrari.

 Sebastian Vettel is a person of many 鈥測oung鈥� titles (or used to until a few years ago). He鈥檚 known to be the youngest person to have gotten the first champion point, the youngest to score a double, the youngest to score a hat-trick, and the like.

Perhaps what people do not know about him is his unassuming and rather modest nature.  A quick observation of his interviews reveals a calm yet determined person. 

1. Became the Youngest World Champion in 2010 at The Age of 23Years

 driving for  at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix. By Derek Morrison

He is the youngest driver to win the World Driver鈥檚 Champion for the fourth time. Apart from Juan Manuel Fangio (winner of five titles) and Michael Schumacher (winner of seven titles), Sebastian Vettel has managed to do so for four consecutive years, the only driver after Juan Manuel Fangio (winner of five titles) and Michael Schumacher (winner of seven titles).

It is also worth noting that apart from his four world crowns he has also managed more than 50 pole positions and race victories, a record better than many of the biggest names in F1 history.

2. His Net Worth Makes Him One of the Richest F1 Drivers of All Time

His success is also reflected in his overall net worth. Apart from his earnings coming from his driving salary, making around $ 15 million a year, excluding bonuses and sponsorship, his other earnings come from his hobby which is car collection.

 What is Sebastian’s net worth, and what can you find in his car collection? As of 2022, His net worth is estimated to be $140 million, including a modest $7 million farmhouse in Thurgau Canton, Switzerland. He ranks 10th among the richest F1 drivers of all time.

3. He Is Considered The Third Most Successful F1 Driver Of All Time

Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel with Felipe Massa (left) and Fernando Alonso (right) at the 2010 German Gran Photo by BLG鞝勳瀽d Prix.  – Wikimedia Commons

He made his Formula One debut in 2007. Considered the third most successful F1 driver of all time in terms of victories. But he is yet to reach the top of the podium at only two of the Grand Prix 鈥� the Hungarian GP and the US GP. His best finish at the Hungarian GP was second place in 2011 after 7 attempts in total.

Though he has won almost every race between 2013 and 2018 he is yet to conquer the US GP (in two attempts) after he finished second last year at the return of Formula One to the US at Austin, Texas after a gap of 5 years.

Incidentally, he had made his debut at the GP finishing a highly applaudable eighth place for Sauber. His home race 鈥� the German GP had also eluded him until this year as he won starting from second on the grid.

4. Loves to Name His car at the Start of Every Season

 Vettel has had a unique habit of naming his cars since 2008. It is something similar to Americans who had a habit of naming their warplanes in World War II.

He often considers female names for each car because he believes the cars are 鈥榖eautiful. Names such as Julie (2008), Kate (2009) and Kate鈥檚 Dirty Sister (after Kate had crashed in Australia), Luscious Liz and Randy Mandy (2010 after Liz had problems and had to be replaced), Kinky Kylie (2011 named after pop-star Kylie Minogue), Abbey (2012- he just liked the name), and Hungry Heidi (2013 鈥� named after model Heidi Klum).

Interestingly, in nearly every car apart from the 2014 Red Bull and the 2016 Ferrari, he has had at least one race win. That鈥檚 one superstition that Vettel will probably continue for a long time.

5. His Dream Was to Become a Singer But He Couldn鈥檛 Sing

Music system Photo by  on 

 In one of the interviews this young driver had after winning a race in Brazil, he was quoted as saying that it was painful when he realized that he couldn鈥檛 sing. He revealed that he even wanted to be Michael Jackson at some point and would always scream about it around the house.  

He was once asked about his music.  His reply was 鈥淵es. But at the moment I鈥檓 more into Eighties stuff. Have you seen the TV series White Gold? There鈥檚 lots of great music on that. So yeah, I am a proper Anglophile.鈥�

6. The Lifestyle in His School Contributed to Him Terminating His Schooling at The Secondary Level

Growing up in West Germany he attended Heppenheim鈥檚 Starkenburg Gymnasium High School.  He says that He did not receive just any kind of passing grade, but, a 鈥渞espectable鈥� grade despite the high school where drugs, sex, and rock and roll are more rampant than academic vibes.

So, he joins the likes of Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, etc. who dropped out of college and do not have any alma maters degrees to speak of yet they are successful.

7. The Famous Beatles Band was His Favorite

He is a crazy Beatles fan and has some memorabilia of the great music band. One of them was a Hofner guitar that was presented to him by Beatles member Sir James Paul McCartney.

This probably emanates from his schooling days where rock and roll were adored.

8. Believe It or Not, Your Idol is Also a Fan of Someone Himself.

He’s been fascinated by the life of Enzo Ferrari, and always goes through any written material on Enzo.

Today the brand of Ferrari has global significance compared to before commented Vettel. That’s certainly true. If you look at the history of Enzo, you realize the guy was epic.

According to Vettel, he not only was a racing driver but also founded the Grand Prix motor racing team and, of course, the Ferrari automobile marque itself. Amazingly all these come from the mind of one person. It鈥檚 a shame he鈥檚 not here anymore,鈥� said Vettel, admiring his feats.

9. Nicknamed ‘Baby Schumi’ Due to His Similar Style in Driving to Schumacher

Rally attire. Photo by ZU photography on Unsplash

Sebastian and Schumacher share a lot in common. They both grew up in a small town with everyday life. Also, Schumacher’s father is a bricklayer, and Vettel’s is a carpenter.

Both had their first taste of racing at the Kerpen karting track near Cologne, not far from the N眉rburgring.  Vettel grew up watching Schumacher compete.

After winning his first championship in 2010, and being hailed as the “Next Schumacher”, Vettel said that he did not want to aim for Schumacher’s record but win more.

10. Vettel Has Demonstrated an Interest in The Environment and Other Social Justice Issues.

During the 2021 British Grand Prix, he offered to assist in removing litter from the stands, a gesture that is worth noting and he also worked with children in Austria to build a hotel for bees.

 Furthermore, Vettel has often criticized how F1 races are scheduled, stating that races that are geographically proximate to each other should be held on consecutive weekends to reduce emissions.

Women have also not been forgotten in his campaigns. He also held an all-women karting event during the weekend of the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix