Sebastian Vettel Biography

Growing up in Germany with Michael Schuamcher for a hero, Sebastian Vettel has gone on to deliver an era of dominance enjoyed by few other drivers outside of the pair of them. A four-time world champion, and holder of numerous outright F1 records, Vettel is undoubtedly one of the great drivers of the modern era, but his reputation has taken something of a beating in recent years, and he enters 2019 perhaps needing to get the better of Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton to breathe new life into his legacy.

An early start in F1

After catching the eye with an impressive karting career, Vettel was signed to Red Bull's junior programme in 1998 as an 11-year-old before soon progressing to open-wheel racing, where victory in Formula BMW in 2004 gave him the chance to test for Williams and Sauber – both linked to the German manufacturer at the time.