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78-476: The Alpine Academy , formerly known as the RF1 Driver Programme , Renault Driver Development and Renault Sport Academy , is a driver development programme to support young racing drivers through their careers. The programme was created by Renault F1 in 2002. In 2011, the programme was renamed LRGP Academy , following the rebranding of the team to " Lotus Renault GP ". In 2012, the programme

156-614: A Reynard Motorsport Champ Car in a two-day private test at the Homestead–Miami Speedway . A year later, he won the 2004 Formula BMW ADAC championship with 18 victories from 20 races. Vettel drove for ASL Mücke Motorsport in the 2005 Formula 3 Euro Series . He was placed fifth in the final standings with 63 points and won the Rookie Cup. He tested for the Williams Formula One team later that year as

234-680: A 14-point lead over Hamilton. Mercedes dominated after the summer break and Vettel lost the championship lead at the Italian Grand Prix , which was followed by a first-lap retirement in Singapore after collision with Räikkönen and Verstappen. It was the first time in Formula One history that both Ferraris retired from the first lap of a Grand Prix. His title hopes were dealt another blow in Malaysia , as he started last following

312-646: A cool guy". His victory led the German media to dub him "Baby Schumi". Vettel was named 2008 Rookie of the Year at the Autosport Awards . At the start of the 2009 season, Vettel replaced the retired David Coulthard at Red Bull Racing. He began strongly at the Australian Grand Prix , running in second for the majority of the race. However, a clash with Robert Kubica over second place in

390-510: A driver may also be recouped via a share of earnings from wages and brand deals. In 1998, McLaren became the first Formula One team to establish a driver development program, founding the McLaren-Mercedes Young Driver Support Programme ; its initial cohort famously included 13-year-old kart racer Lewis Hamilton , who became the first driver development program alumnus in Formula One to win

468-485: A good job and then they fuck it all up". Vettel was initially punished with a ten-place grid penalty for the following race, but this was lifted after a spectator video on YouTube showed the incident may have been caused by Hamilton's behaviour behind the safety car. Vettel finished a career-best fourth a week later at the Chinese Grand Prix , having started 17th on the grid while in mixed conditions. He

546-563: A public apology and committing to devote personal time over the next 12 months to educational activities across a variety of FIA championships and events. Vettel's championship lead was cut to only a single point in Great Britain , as he suffered a puncture on the penultimate lap and dropped to seventh place. Vettel started from pole in Hungary and maintained the lead. He overcame steering issues and held on for victory, which gave him

624-456: A radio message from team principal Christian Horner to hold position. It was only the second time in the sport's history that a driver had finished second or higher in each of the first nine races of a season and won at least six of them. Vettel's run of fourteen successive front-row starts and eleven successive top two finishes ended at his home race , where he qualified third and finished fourth. In Italy , he took his tenth pole position of

702-415: A record for collecting his first fine in nine seconds into his career, as Vettel exceeded the pitlane speed limit on the way to the track. In his second testing session at the 2006 Italian Grand Prix , he set the fastest time in both Friday practice sessions. Vettel was confirmed as BMW's test driver for 2007 . Following Kubica's crash at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix , Vettel was named his replacement at

780-464: A record total of 392 points. Vettel started the 2012 season with a second place at the Australian Grand Prix , before he finished outside the points in Malaysia following a collision with backmarker Narain Karthikeyan . Vettel and Horner criticised Karthikeyan's driving, with Vettel calling him an "idiot", and a "cucumber". Karthikeyan hit back, calling Vettel a "cry baby". Vettel crossed

858-503: A reward for his Formula BMW success. Vettel then went on to test for the BMW Sauber Formula One team. Vettel was promoted to test driver for BMW Sauber in 2006, and participated in the 2006 Formula 3 Euro Series , finishing as runner-up. He also competed in the 2006 Formula Renault 3.5 Series , where he finished first and second at Misano in his first two races. In the next round at Spa-Francorchamps, his finger

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936-525: A successful karting career—culminating in his victory at the junior direct-drive Karting European Championship in 2001—Vettel graduated to junior formulae . He started his career in Formula BMW ADAC , dominating the championship in 2004 with 18 wins from 20 races. Vettel then progressed to the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2005 , taking several victories and finishing runner-up to Paul di Resta

1014-535: A turbo problem in qualifying. He finished in fourth place, but crashed with Williams' Lance Stroll on the cool-down lap; neither would be penalised. More reliability issues befell Ferrari in Japan as Vettel retired due to a spark plug failure. In Mexico , Vettel became the fourth driver in Formula One history to claim 50 pole positions. Verstappen took the lead from Vettel at the start, before Vettel collided with Hamilton, after which Hamilton won his fourth title. For

1092-567: A wide range of coaching methods and technologies to train all of the physical and psychological attributes required in high-level motorsport, including full motion racing simulators and psychotherapy . Some programs have been criticized for offering long-term, low-paying contracts, whilst occasionally charging additional fees for the use of their facilities and technologies. Companies that specialise in driver training and related programs remain commercially viable through such fees, and typically do not financially support junior careers. Investment in

1170-536: Is a German racing driver , who most recently competed in Formula One from 2007 to 2022 . Vettel won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles , which he won consecutively from 2010 to 2013 with Red Bull , and remains the youngest-ever World Drivers' Champion ; he won 53 Grands Prix across 16 seasons. Born and raised in Heppenheim , Vettel began competitive kart racing aged eight. After

1248-576: Is a fan of British comedy such as Little Britain and Monty Python's Life of Brian . Vettel began karting at the age of three, and began racing in karts series in 1995 at the age of eight. He was accepted into the Red Bull Junior Team in 1998, and won various titles, such as the Junior Monaco Kart Cup in 2001. Vettel was promoted to open-wheel cars in 2003, and was given a chance by Derrick Walker to test

1326-501: Is also a prominent environmental and climate activist ; since 2023, he has been co-owner of the Germany SailGP Team. Vettel was born on 3 July 1987 in Heppenheim , West Germany, to Norbert and Heike Vettel. He has one younger brother, Fabian , a racing driver, and two older sisters: Melanie, a dental technician, and Stefanie, a physiotherapist for children with disabilities. Vettel suggested in an interview that he

1404-484: The 1964 season and James Hunt in 1976 , this was the third time in Formula One history that the title winner had not topped the championship table until after the last race. Vettel started the 2011 season with wins in Australia and Malaysia , before a second-place finish at the Chinese Grand Prix due to poor tyre management, possibly related to his inability to properly communicate with his team, as his radio

1482-577: The 2007 United States Grand Prix . He started in seventh position and finished in eighth to become the then-youngest driver to score a point in Formula One. BMW released him in July 2007 to join Red Bull 's Scuderia Toro Rosso , replacing Scott Speed from the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix onwards, as Vettel was already under contract to Red Bull Racing . It was also announced that he would drive for Toro Rosso in 2008 alongside Sébastien Bourdais . In

1560-576: The 2014 Ferrari car in Abu Dhabi . In spite of this, Vettel was present at the Ferrari test – although not driving the car – but Red Bull did not enforce any sanctions. Vettel instead made his first appearance in November, completing nearly 100 laps in the 2012 car around the test track of Fiorano . The next stage of my Formula 1 career will be spent with Scuderia Ferrari and for me that means

1638-523: The BMW Sauber Formula One team. Vettel became BMW Sauber's third driver at the 2006 Turkish Grand Prix , when former incumbent Robert Kubica replaced Jacques Villeneuve as second driver for the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix . On his testing debut, Vettel set the fastest time in the second Friday free practice. Vettel became the then-youngest Formula One driver to participate in a Grand Prix weekend at 19 years and 53 days. He also set

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1716-545: The Brazilian Grand Prix , Vettel and Webber secured Red Bull Racing's first World Constructors' Championship . Vettel went into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi with a 15-point deficit to Alonso and a 7-point gap to Webber. He won the Grand Prix from pole to become the youngest World Drivers' Champion in the sport's history, as Alonso only finished in seventh place. Following John Surtees in

1794-527: The Canadian Grand Prix , Vettel won for the third time in 2018 and for the 50th time in his career, becoming only the fourth man to reach a half-century of wins. The following race in France , Vettel lost the championship lead following a collision with Bottas. He bounced back in Great Britain , after he passed Bottas in the last laps to take victory. Vettel led his home race until he slid off

1872-544: The Grand Prix Drivers' Association . He took his first win of the season in Malaysia . In Monaco , Vettel made it a Red Bull 1–2 with him second and Webber first. Both were equal on points in the standings, with Webber first based on total wins. At the Turkish Grand Prix , Vettel was running second behind Webber when he made a passing move on his teammate. The two collided, putting Vettel out of

1950-502: The Indian Grand Prix ; before the race weekend, Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone stated that Vettel was "probably the best [driver] we've ever had". "It's very difficult for me personally, to receive boos, even though you haven't done anything wrong." Sebastian Vettel, on being booed on the podium. On several occasions during the season, spectators booed Vettel. The booing was widely condemned by fellow drivers,

2028-561: The Korean Grand Prix , the Indian Grand Prix brought another victory, as Vettel topped all three practice sessions before taking pole position and leading every lap of the race to win. During qualifying at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix , Vettel was told to stop the car due to a fuel pump issue; he was forced to start from the pit lane. From last place, Vettel fought his way back to finish in third place. He started

2106-639: The Monaco Grand Prix , Vettel scored his first points of the season with a fifth-place finish, after qualifying 17th. Toro Rosso's technical director Giorgio Ascanelli explained that something changed at the European Grand Prix in Valencia : "Suddenly Vettel understood something about how to drive an F1 car quickly. It made a huge difference – not only to the speed he could unlock but also to his ability to do so consistently." At

2184-664: The Russian Grand Prix , he had been outqualified by a teammate over a season for the first time in his Formula One career. In addition to suffering reliability problems, throughout 2014 Vettel struggled to get to grips with the Red Bull RB10 , and the Pirelli tyres. He signed off the year by becoming the first defending champion to fail to win a race during a season since Jacques Villeneuve in 1998 . In October, Red Bull had announced that Vettel would be leaving

2262-726: The World Drivers' Championship in 2008 . The Red Bull Junior Team have graduated 14 members—and two former members—to Formula One, noted for their use of a second team to promote junior talent under the wing of Helmut Marko . As of 2024, Red Bull have coached two World Drivers' Champions, both winning their titles with Red Bull Racing : Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen . All of these teams have their own developmental driver programs and/or field cars/trucks on their team for developmental drivers. Sebastian Vettel Sebastian Vettel ( German pronunciation: [zeˈbasti̯a(ː)n ˈfɛtl̩] ; born 3 July 1987)

2340-425: The following season . A test driver for BMW Sauber since 2006 , Vettel made his Formula One debut at the 2007 United States Grand Prix . Vettel replaced Scott Speed at Toro Rosso after the European Grand Prix for the remainder of the 2007 season, as part of the Red Bull Junior Team . Retaining his seat for 2008 , Vettel achieved his maiden pole position and victory at the Italian Grand Prix to become

2418-446: The then-youngest driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix . Vettel was promoted to parent team Red Bull in 2009 , taking several wins as he finished runner-up to Jenson Button in the World Drivers' Championship . After winning the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2010 , Vettel became the youngest-ever Formula One World Drivers' Champion , aged 23. Vettel won his second and third championships in 2011 and 2012 , dominating

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2496-532: The World Drivers' Championship went to Hamilton for a second consecutive year. Although Mercedes had been the more consistent and better team, fans and pundits criticised Vettel for making too many mistakes during the season. After showing impressive pace throughout pre-season testing in Barcelona , Vettel and his new teammate Charles Leclerc headed to Australia with many pundits believing they had

2574-421: The academy to pursue a graduation to Formula 1 with another team. FIA Formula 3 Championship ( 2023 – 2024 ) Italics indicate factory team. Driver development program Driver development programs involve the scouting, signing and training of driver talent around the world. Racing teams will typically sign young drivers with the intention of eventually graduating them to a senior category with

2652-548: The already fragile relationship between the two drivers had further broken down as a result of the incident. Vettel claimed that he was not sorry for winning and that if the situation presented itself again, he would have passed Webber despite the order, adding that he felt Webber did not deserve to win the race. Following wins in Bahrain and Canada , his championship lead was cut at the British Grand Prix as he

2730-536: The car to beat for the 2019 season. The opening weekend proved to be difficult, however, as Vettel qualified some seven tenths off pole position in third and finished the race in fourth place. Third-place finishes in China and Azerbaijan followed, as Mercedes continued to dominate. Vettel took pole position in Canada ; his first pole in 17 races. Midway through the race, a snap of oversteer caused him to run wide onto

2808-507: The championship. Vettel then retired at the Italian Grand Prix due to an alternator failure, which saw the gap to leader Alonso grow to 39 points with seven races remaining. He won next race in Singapore , as he kept the lead until the 2-hour race limit was reached. At the Japanese Grand Prix he took his second career grand slam and coupled with Alonso's retirement, he cut the gap down to just four points. After winning at

2886-531: The circuit since Schumacher won there in 2001 . In Azerbaijan , Vettel collided into the rear of race leader Hamilton under the safety car, accusing Hamilton of brake testing him. Moments later, Vettel pulled alongside and hit his Mercedes as they prepared for a restart, for which he received a ten-second stop-go penalty. The FIA investigated the Vettel-Hamilton incident further, but Vettel received no punishment. Vettel took full responsibility, issuing

2964-562: The dream of a lifetime has come true. When I was a kid, Michael Schumacher in the red car was my greatest idol and now it's an incredible honour to finally get the chance to drive a Ferrari. I already got a small taste of what the Ferrari spirit means, when I took my first win at Monza in 2008, with an engine from the Prancing Horse built in Maranello. The Scuderia has a great tradition in this sport and I am extremely motivated to help

3042-478: The fastest qualifying lap in Valencia Street Circuit 's history. Vettel dominated with his first hat-trick of 2011, and won his sixth race out of eight. The FIA implemented another rule change at the British Grand Prix , targeting the blown diffusers. Red Bull believed the changes would cost them about half a second per lap. During the race, Vettel held off Webber for second place, who ignored

3120-756: The finishing line in fourth place. It left Vettel 30 points behind the Mercedes driver with seven races left. His championship hopes were dealt a further blow as Ferrari's upgrades introduced at the Singapore Grand Prix proved to be unsuccessful, making a step backwards on car development; Ferrari suffered a dip of form until the United States Grand Prix , where they reverted to their old package and successfully rediscovered their form. Vettel claimed his first ever podium in Mexico but

3198-482: The first lap, but both were able to continue. He blamed Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat for the collision, labelling him a "madman" and described his overtaking manoeuvre as "suicidal". At the Russian Grand Prix , Vettel retired on the first lap after two consecutive collisions with Kvyat. At the Mexican Grand Prix , Vettel attempted to overtake Red Bull driver Max Verstappen , but after Verstappen ran off

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3276-406: The first time in his career, Vettel failed to win the World Drivers' Championship having led it at some stage during a season. The 2018 season was dubbed the "Fight For Five" by the media, as for the first time in Formula One history, two quadruple world champions lined up at the start of a season. For the second consecutive year, Vettel began the season with victory in Australia , after he took

3354-648: The first two races of the 2013 season on pole position, and at the Malaysian Grand Prix , he lapped over 2.5 seconds faster than teammate Webber in qualifying during a wet session. He won the race, though not without controversy. Vettel ignored the team orders and passed Webber for the lead. Webber was furious after the race and said that Vettel "will have protection as usual and that's the way it goes". Team principal Horner, although unhappy with Vettel's actions, pointed out that Webber had defied team orders on several previous occasions. He acknowledged that

3432-585: The first win all the more special. He won the Hungarian Grand Prix to remain a championship contender after he started from third on the grid. He dedicated his victory to the driver Jules Bianchi , who died the week prior from injuries sustained in 2014. At the halfway point of the season, Vettel was 42 points behind championship leader and Mercedes driver Hamilton. Vettel was in third place in Belgium when his right rear blew at high speed on

3510-476: The following races, winning in Bahrain and Monaco , and finishing second in China , Russia and Spain . In Russia, Vettel took his first pole position in 18 months and with Räikkönen alongside him, Ferrari had their first front row lock out since the 2008 French Grand Prix . Vettel's lead at the top of the standings increased to 25 points after the Monaco Grand Prix, Ferrari's first victory at

3588-421: The former and winning the latter amidst a close title battle with Fernando Alonso . Vettel set several records in 2013 , winning 13 Grands Prix—including a then-record nine consecutive victories—to claim his fourth consecutive title with Red Bull. After a winless 2014 campaign, Vettel signed for Ferrari , replacing Alonso to partner Kimi Räikkönen ; he took several wins in his debut season, finishing third in

3666-428: The grass. Vettel received a five-second time penalty from the stewards, who believed he had returned to the track "in an unsafe manner and forced [Hamilton] off track". Vettel crossed the line in first place but lost his victory as a result of the penalty. After the race, he swapped the number one and two signs in front of Hamilton's Mercedes and the empty spot that was supposed for his own car, as Vettel parked his car at

3744-503: The last race in Brazil with a 13-point cushion against Alonso. On the opening lap, Vettel spun after an incident with Bruno Senna . Following changing weather conditions, Vettel climbed up to finish in sixth place to win the championship by three points and to become the youngest ever triple world champion. He also became the third driver to acquire three consecutive championships, after Juan Manuel Fangio and Schumacher. Vettel started

3822-575: The latter stages forced both to retire. He went on to take pole position and the race win at Chinese Grand Prix ; Red Bull Racing's maiden pole and win. Further wins followed in Great Britain , Japan and Abu Dhabi . He won the Japanese Grand Prix from pole position, leading every lap. Vettel won the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the first ever day-night race, to finish second in the World Drivers' Championship standings behind Jenson Button . He also scored his third fastest lap of

3900-401: The lead while pitting under the virtual safety car. It was his 100th podium, while he also became only the third man in Formula One history to have led 3,000 laps. In Bahrain , Vettel maintained the lead from pole through the first round of pit stops and held off Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas despite being on old soft tyres to take a fourth victory at the circuit. At the Chinese Grand Prix , he

3978-598: The line in first place at the Bahrain Grand Prix to go top of the championship standings. Three races without a podium place followed, before he retired at the European Grand Prix after an alternator failure, dropping him to fourth in the standings. In Germany , Vettel finished second behind Alonso but received a 20-second time penalty after the race, as he was off the track when he overtook Button; Vettel dropped back to fifth. He started in 10th place but finished second in Belgium to climb up to second place in

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4056-415: The media and others in the paddock, and Vettel later revealed that it had a negative impact on him. For the 2014 season and beyond, drivers picked a unique car number to use for the remainder of their Formula One career; Vettel chose the number five. However, as reigning World Drivers' Champion, he carried number one throughout the season. Webber left the sport and was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo , who

4134-458: The organisation, such as Formula One , IndyCar or NASCAR . Many teams sign drivers to multi-year contracts, in which they assist in funding their careers in junior formulae—such as kart racing , Formula Three and Formula Two in open-wheel racing , as well as late models and ARCA in stock car racing —to develop their talent and experience. Such contracts may also serve to prevent driver talent from being poached . Many programs now employ

4212-439: The penultimate lap, likely ending any title chances given Hamilton's win. After the race, he ranted about the 'unacceptable' and 'unsafe' Pirelli tyres that could have caused him serious injury. Vettel came home second in the Italian Grand Prix , his first race with Ferrari at the team's home soil. He then took his first pole with the team at the Singapore Grand Prix , Ferrari's first pole for three years. Vettel went on to win

4290-460: The race, and with Hamilton retiring, he closed to within 49 points with seven races remaining. Vettel ended the season in third place, however, with three wins and 13 podiums; he declared the season as a 'miracle'. After a third-place finish at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix , Vettel's participation in Bahrain ended without starting as his car broke down on the formation lap. At the Chinese Grand Prix , Vettel collided with teammate Räikkönen on

4368-406: The race, with neither driver accepting responsibility for the collision. At the British Grand Prix , both Vettel and Webber's cars were fitted with a new front wing design. Vettel's wing was damaged in the third practice session, and Webber's sole surviving example was removed and given to his teammate. Vettel qualified in first place, but suffered a puncture. He finished seventh while Webber took

4446-404: The rain-affected Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji , Vettel worked his way up to third, behind Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber , and seemed to be on course for his and the team's maiden podium finish. However, Vettel crashed into Webber under safety car conditions, forcing both cars to retire. Webber said after the race: "It's kids isn't it. Kids with not enough experience – you do

4524-501: The recently-established Aston Martin in 2021 , where he scored his final podium finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix . Vettel retired at the end of the 2022 season, having achieved the fourth-most wins (53), fourth-most pole positions (57), fifth-most fastest laps (38), and third-most podium finishes (122) in Formula One. Outside of Formula One, Vettel won the 2015 Race of Champions , representing Germany. He

4602-406: The season in the inaugural Indian Grand Prix , leading every lap from pole position, as well as setting the race's fastest lap to claim his first grand slam . Vettel broke the record for the most pole positions in a season at the season finale in Brazil , after he clinched his 15th pole of the year. He completed the year with 15 poles, 11 victories, and 17 podiums from 19 races; Vettel also earned

4680-404: The standings. Following another winless season in 2016 , Vettel emerged as the closest challenger to Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton , finishing runner-up in 2017 and 2018 after achieving several victories across both campaigns. Partnered by Charles Leclerc for 2019 , Vettel took his final win for Ferrari at the Singapore Grand Prix before leaving the team at the end of 2020 . Vettel joined

4758-493: The team at the end of the season to join Scuderia Ferrari , one year before his contract was due to expire. Vettel replaced Alonso and partnered his friend Kimi Räikkönen. Vettel mentioned he would like to drive for Ferrari at some point in his career and was already rumoured in 2012 to have a non-binding pre-contract, with options, to join them in 2014. He was denied an early release from his Red Bull contract to test

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4836-506: The team get back to the top. I will put my heart and soul into making it happen. Sebastian Vettel, on his lifelong dream of driving for Ferrari Vettel made his Ferrari debut by finishing third in the Australian Grand Prix . He followed that up with winning the Malaysian Grand Prix , his first race victory for over a year and the first win for Ferrari for almost two years. After the race, an emotional Vettel paid tribute to Schumacher, saying that his hero's achievements with Ferrari made

4914-483: The track and hit the wall in the latter stages as rain started to fall, as he had clipped the sausage curb a few laps before, breaking a part of his front wing, causing understeer and loss of downforce; he won in Belgium , however, in which he passed Hamilton for the race victory. Contact on the opening lap with Hamilton in Italy saw Vettel damage his front wing and drop to the back of the field, but he recovered to cross

4992-493: The track and rejoined ahead of him, Vettel verbally attacked him and race director Charlie Whiting , for which he later apologised. Vettel then blocked Red Bull's Ricciardo by moving in the braking zone, and was given a ten-second penalty and two points on his licence. Although he achieved seven podium finishes during the season, Vettel did not win any races in 2016. His third season at Ferrari started with victory in Australia , his first in 18 months. The early form continued

5070-414: The victory. In Japan , he qualified on pole ahead of Webber and went on to win with a lights-to-flag victory. Aged 23 years and 98 days, Vettel became the youngest Grand Prix driver to win at the same track on two occasions. At the inaugural Korean Grand Prix , Vettel led the first 45 laps before retiring with engine failure, handing victory to championship rival Fernando Alonso . With the 1–2 finish at

5148-581: The wet Italian Grand Prix , Vettel became the youngest driver in history to win a Formula One Grand Prix, aged 21 years and 74 days. He led for the majority of the Grand Prix and crossed the finish line 12.5 seconds ahead of McLaren 's Heikki Kovalainen . It would also be Toro Rosso's only win. Earlier in the weekend, he had already become the youngest pole-sitter . Toro Rosso team boss Gerhard Berger said: "As he proved today, he can win races, but he's going to win World Championships. He's

5226-407: The year, drawing him level with teammate Mark Webber . However, as Vettel had more second fastest laps, he won the 2009 DHL Fastest Lap Award . Vettel took the first pole position of the 2010 season at the Bahrain Grand Prix . He led most of the race but as a result of a spark plug failure, Vettel finished in fourth place. At the Australian Grand Prix , Vettel was appointed as a director of

5304-590: The year, in which he joined Ayrton Senna as the only driver to have taken ten pole positions in two separate seasons. A podium finish in Japan secured his second successive title with four races remaining, making him the youngest ever double and back-to-back champion. Vettel won the following race in Korea to become the second driver to take at least ten wins in a season after Michael Schumacher.  He also helped to secure Red Bull's second successive World Constructors' Championship. Vettel took his eleventh victory of

5382-571: Was red-flagged with few laps remaining, which allowed teams to change their tyres; when the race was restarted under the safety car, Vettel was able to retain the lead and win. At the European Grand Prix , the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) enforced a ban on engine mappings. It was believed by some in the press that this was an attempt by the FIA to thwart Vettel's early domination. Nevertheless, he took pole with

5460-602: Was "terrible" at school, but he passed his Abitur at Heppenheim's Starkenburg-Gymnasium  [ de ] with a respectable grade. His childhood heroes were "The three Michaels": Michael Schumacher , Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson . He mentioned that he wanted to be a singer like Jackson, but realised that he did not have the voice. Vettel is also a fan of the Beatles , collecting several records, including Abbey Road and his favourite song being " Drive My Car ". In an interview on Top Gear , he stated that he

5538-480: Was almost sliced off by flying debris following an accident, and he was expected to be out for several weeks. Nevertheless, he managed to compete in the 2006 Masters of Formula 3 at Zandvoort the following weekend, where he finished in sixth place. Vettel competed in the 2007 Formula Renault 3.5 Series , and took his first win at the Nürburgring . He led the championship when he was called up permanently by

5616-483: Was broken. In Monaco , Vettel led the race but due to another radio malfunction, the Red Bull pit crew was not prepared when he came in. The pit stop was slow and he was sent out on the wrong tyres, handing the lead to Button. Vettel switched to a one-stop strategy and stuck with one set of soft tyres for 56 laps. He was caught by Alonso and Button as his tyres deteriorated, but neither were able to pass him. The race

5694-519: Was denied a likely win due to gearbox failure. Vettel bounced back to win his home race in Germany for the first time. After he finished third in Hungary , Vettel won the last nine races of the season, including grand slams in Singapore and Korea . Vettel set the then-record for most consecutive race wins with nine and he became only the third man after Alberto Ascari and Jim Clark to take consecutive grand slams. He sealed his fourth world title at

5772-466: Was hit by Verstappen in the latter stages of the race, which caused both to spin. Vettel limped home in eighth place, with his championship lead reduced to nine points. For the first time since 2013, Vettel took three consecutive pole positions as he qualified in first place in Azerbaijan . It was the 23rd different Grand Prix at which he had taken pole position, equalling Hamilton's then-record. At

5850-478: Was merged into Alpine Academy at the start of 2023. This list contains the drivers that have graduated to Formula 1 while being supported by Renault, Lotus Renault, or Alpine. Therefore, drivers who have had support in the past and entered Formula 1 through other means are not included. For example, both Zhou Guanyu and Oscar Piastri were members of the Alpine Academy, however, they broke their ties with

5928-544: Was promoted from Toro Rosso. Vettel struggled with reliability issues throughout winter testing, which forced him to retire at the opening Australian Grand Prix . Reliability problems also forced Vettel to retire at the Monaco and Austrian Grands Prix. Vettel qualified on the front-row for the races in Malaysia , Great Britain and Hungary , and finished on the podium in Malaysia, Canada , Singapore and Japan . After

6006-556: Was renamed Lotus F1 Team iRace Professional Programme and 2013–2015, the programme was renamed Lotus F1 Junior Team . In 2021, the programme was renamed Alpine Academy after the rebranding of the Renault F1 team into Alpine F1 Team . In March 2022, the Alpine Affiliates programme was launched as a support to drivers starting their motorsport careers, and is intended to be a feeder for the Alpine Academy. However, it

6084-401: Was tipped by Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz as one of the sport's big future stars: "Vettel is one of the young guys with extraordinary potential [...] He is fast, he is intelligent, and he is very interested in the technical side." After four races of the 2008 season, Vettel was the only driver to have failed to finish a single race, having retired on the first lap in three of them. At

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