Sebastian Vettel takes the wheel in historic home race appearance

F1 champion Sebastian Vettel made a rare appearance behind the wheel with his most recent team during their home race last week.

In 2023, Vettel was announced as the co-owner of Germany’s SailGP team and has since embarked on a series of environmental projects with the squad.

However, during the last round of the championship – held in Sassnitz in Germany – Vettel was allowed to get behind the wheel of the F50 catamaran used in the SailGP race series.

Vettel made history becoming the first non-SailGP athlete to do so and sat at the helm of the boat during a flyby in front of thousands of spectators.

The team shared the experience on Instagram, where they wrote: "For the first time in SailGP history, a non-SailGP athlete sat at the helm of an F50 during a flyby: Sebastian steered our F50 in front of thousands of spectators at our home race in Sassnitz. We captured this moment.

"It was one of his rarest appearances after Formula 1 – following Goodwood 2023, the Nurburgring Showrun 2023, and the Race of Champions 2025 in Sydney."

Vettel makes SailGP Germany appearance

Speaking about his experience behind the wheel, Vettel said: "It was so exciting. It's been a while since I've been on the boat and I'd forgotten just how strong the forces are - it was very impressive. It was a really special moment."

The team also announced a bid on the equipment Vettel wore during the flyby, including his original SailGP racing helmet in the team Germany design, signed by the four-time world champion and fellow co-owner Erik Kosegarten-Heil.

Germany’s SailGP team were beaten to a spot in the three-boat winner-takes-all final at Sassnitz, with France’s ‘Les Blues’ team preventing them from taking a home win.

It was Quentin Delapierre’s boat that secure the Germany Sail Grand Prix win, ahead of Australia’s Flying Roos and Emirates Great Britain.

The French team will be hoping to roll into their home race in St Tropez this September with a similar flair for victory, as the season ramps up ahead of its conclusion in Abu Dhabi in late November.

What is the SailGP championship?

SailGP’s inaugural championship took place in 2019, with six teams from Australia, Great Britain, United States, China, France and Japan competing.

The championship has since doubled to 12 teams, with Spain, Italy, Denmark, Brazil, New Zealand, Switzerland and Canada competing in the 2025 championship.

SailGP’s original calendar saw five meets in Sydney, San Francisco, New York, Cowes, and Marseille, with the 2025 calendar now boasting 12 rounds from Portsmouth to Dubai, Auckland to Taranto.

Australia’s Flying Roos currently lead the standings after the last race in Germany, with four more rounds to be played for.

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