Sebastian Vettel

Biography of Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel's F1 Career

Sebastian Vettel made his Formula 1 debut for BMW Sauber at the 2007 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis, after being promoted from test driver to substitute for the injured Robert Kubica following the Pole's terrifying crash at the Canadian Grand Prix. The German qualified seventh and finished one place lower, becoming the then-youngest points finisher in F1. His performance was so impressive that Toro Rosso came calling for his services following Scott Speed's release ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. At the Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji, Vettel once again showed his class, working his way up to third in treacherous conditions. However, behind the safety car, he misjudged his distance to Red Bull driver Mark Webber and collided with the Australian, resulting in both dropping out of the race. In the next race in China, Vettel worked his way up from 17th on the grid to a superb fourth in changeable conditions to once again prove his talents, earning himself a full-time seat at Toro Rosso for 2008. The beginning of the 2008 season was a difficult experience for the German, with four non-finishes in the first four races stripping him of the momentum he had built up throughout his first half-season in the sport. At Monaco, he repeated his form from China a year before to rise from the back of the grid to score his first points of the season in fourth. Then at the Italian Grand Prix, a star was born. Becoming the youngest pole-sitter in the sport, Vettel dominated in wet conditions at Monza to take the chequered flag by a distance from McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen. The then-youngest race winner had earned Toro Rosso and himself the first Formula 1 victory.

Net worth Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel's Net Worth

Any contractual details between driver and team are, as ever, strictly confidential. However, it is believed that Vettel's Ferrari contract was worth in the region of $25-30million. Amongst his personal sponsors, Vettel has signed a deal with Aston Martin backer BWT to boost his overall portfolio.

Sebastian Vettel's Helmet

Vettel was renowned for swapping his helmet designs for each race before regulations were introduced to deter drivers from changing lids consistently. In his early career, his helmet designs were largely influenced by Red Bull, but since his departure, the German has sported a white helmet with a shaded intricacy, dependent on his team. At Ferrari, there was a Prancing Horse illustration included as well as a German flag banded from front to back in a thin ribbon. The German flag has been changed to a pink design fir his debut season with Aston Martin.