The Hispania F111 , also known as the HRT F111 , is a Formula One racing car developed for Hispania Racing . The car competed in the 2011 Formula One season and was the first Formula One car designed by the team as HRT's entry into the 2010 season, the F110, was designed by Dallara. Throughout 2011, the F111 was driven by Narain Karthikeyan , Vitantonio Liuzzi and Daniel Ricciardo .
118-406: After struggling both on and off-track in 2010 , speculation suggested that the team would not be racing in 2011. The car's development had a chequered history before it was even built, with an arrangement with the remains of Toyota Racing to give the team access to the abandoned TF110 project falling through before it could even be completed, with Toyota citing the uncertain financial condition of
236-599: 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
354-656: 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
472-553: A 1–2 finish in Brazil , while Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel won the Drivers' Championship after winning the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi . In doing so, Vettel became the youngest World Drivers' Champion in the 61-year history of the championship. Vettel's victory in the championship came after a dramatic season finale at Abu Dhabi where three other drivers could also have won
590-621: 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
708-477: 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
826-405: A lead of twenty-two seconds to rejoin the circuit ahead of Kubica and Hamilton, but Kubica was able to match him on lap times and McLaren were forced to pit Button, who rejoined fourth behind his teammate, becoming third when Kubica pitted. While Kubica was expected to rejoin somewhere behind Mark Webber, Vitaly Petrov had held Webber and Alonso up enough that when Kubica completed his stop, he joined
944-459: A provisional launch date of 3 March, however, the car was not unveiled until 11 March at the final pre-season test in Barcelona . The team was unable to conduct any testing as key suspension parts that had been flown into the country had not been released by Spanish customs. This made Hispania the twelfth and final team to launch their 2011 car. The late launch date of the car, after the cancellation of
1062-551: 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
1180-456: 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
1298-415: 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
SECTION 10
#17328979943131416-458: 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
1534-576: A regular basis, but a pair of fourteenth places by Karun Chandhok in Australia and Monaco put the team ahead of Virgin in the Constructors' Championship for most of the season. In stark contrast to 2009 , no one driver emerged as dominant in the early stages of the 2010 season. Fernando Alonso won the opening race of the season in Bahrain after Sebastian Vettel 's engine misfired, with Alonso becoming just
1652-493: 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
1770-516: A second in changing conditions in Brazil , but Red Bull went on to claim their fourth 1–2 finish of the season, claiming enough points to be declared World Constructors' Champion in just their sixth year of competition. In the week leading up to the final race of the season, Red Bull repeated their intentions not to use team orders, a decision they were widely criticised for as allowing Mark Webber to finish ahead of Sebastian Vettel would have meant he trailed Fernando Alonso by just one point ahead of
1888-533: A second provisional schedule which had the Abu Dhabi and Brazilian Grands Prix switching dates. The final calendar was released on 11 December 2009. The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) had planned to introduce a budget cap, in order to safeguard the sport and reduce the costs. The proposal had an optional budget cap of €30 million ($ 45 million, £27 million), with greater technical and design freedoms allowed to teams who nominated to use it. The teams objected to what they believed would be
2006-601: A shortage of parts became a problem. Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap of the test during a dry Saturday session with 1:19.583. The third test at Jerez for another four-day test was also affected by mixed weather conditions. Lotus Racing started its first public test with the T127 . The penultimate and last days saw sunny weather with Jenson Button setting the fastest time (1:18.871). The last pre-season test took place at Circuit de Catalunya , Barcelona . The test started in sunny weather with rain showers scattered through
2124-413: A team established by fans of the sport and funded by their donations. Experienced sports car and touring car entrant Ray Mallock Limited had intended to submit an entry bid, but decided against it following the mid-season political crisis . Of the most interest to the media was Stefan Grand Prix , created by Zoran Stefanovic and hailed as Serbia's first Formula 1 team. Stefan claimed to have acquired
2242-485: A three-year absence since 2006. The season's first race was held on 14 March in Bahrain and the season concluded on 14 November in the United Arab Emirates after 19 motor races held in 18 countries on five continents. As of 2024 , it was the last time a customer-engine independent team won the Constructors' Championship to date, before Red Bull Racing was promoted to Renault 's main works partner team from
2360-531: 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
2478-526: A two-tier championship and five of the teams within the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA), Ferrari , BMW Sauber , Renault , Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso announced their intentions to withdraw from the 2010 championship. BMW Sauber later announced on their withdrawal from Formula One at the end of the 2009 season. Following negotiations, the FOTA teams unanimously decided to withdraw at
SECTION 20
#17328979943132596-557: 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
2714-544: 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
2832-479: 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
2950-568: 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
3068-566: The 2011 Australian Grand Prix , driven by Karthikeyan. In qualifying later that day, the car failed to qualify within 107% of pacesetter Sebastian Vettel and was not allowed to start the race. During this race weekend the F111 lacked its nose and front wing which had not then passed crash tests. The car therefore used those that had been designed for the F110. From the next race in Malaysian Grand Prix
3186-561: 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
3304-513: 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
3422-530: 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
3540-514: 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
3658-600: The FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Geneva , in June 2010. The points system was changed, with 25 points being awarded for first place, 18 for second, 15 for third, then 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1 for fourth to tenth. The technical and sporting regulations applicable for the season were the subject of much debate . This season also saw refuelling during race pitstops banned for the first time since 1993 . Before
Hispania F111 - Misplaced Pages Continue
3776-607: The Formula 3 Euro Series in 2005 , taking several victories and finishing runner-up to Paul di Resta 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
3894-528: 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
4012-494: 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,
4130-536: The Italian Grand Prix to become 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
4248-544: 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
4366-556: 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
4484-644: 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
4602-537: 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 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
4720-599: The 2011 to 2015 seasons. The following teams and drivers competed in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship . With the withdrawal of BMW and Toyota from the sport, engine diversity in Formula One dropped to a 30-year low, with just four engine producers powering the entire grid (Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault and Cosworth), the lowest since 1980 . Four new teams joined the grid: Mercedes, Lotus Racing, Virgin Racing and HRT. Teams competed with tyres supplied by Bridgestone . Four constructors entered free practice only drivers over
4838-595: The FIA and FOTA failed to find a resolution to the budget cap issues and the eight FOTA teams announced intentions to form a breakaway series for 2010. However, following a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council on 24 June, FOTA agreed to remain in Formula One and FIA president Max Mosley confirmed he would not stand for re-election in October. During a meeting on 8 July between the FIA and FOTA on future regulations,
Hispania F111 - Misplaced Pages Continue
4956-403: The FIA on 1 August. The new Concorde Agreement secured the sport's future until its expiration in 2012. The new season test schedule started on 1 December 2009 with a three-day 'Young Driver Test' (for drivers with fewer than three Formula One race starts to their name) at Spain's Circuito de Jerez . British Formula 3 Champion Daniel Ricciardo was fastest for Red Bull Racing . As with 2009,
5074-476: The Ferraris of Alonso and Felipe Massa . Hamilton overtook the safety car as it emerged from the pit lane but after it had crossed the safety car control line. It took the race stewards twenty minutes to pass verdict on the infringement, and while Hamilton was issued with a drive-through penalty for his actions, it had little effect as he was already well clear of the rest of the field. The British Grand Prix marked
5192-469: 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
5310-486: 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
5428-487: The cancellation of a planned test in Portugal when Bridgestone refused to supply tyres, Stefan attempted to purchase the defunct USF1 entry, but the moves were blocked. Stefan was finally rejected on 4 March when the FIA stated that it was not possible to issue entries so close to the season opener. On 21 September 2009 the provisional 2010 calendar was issued by the World Motor Sport Council containing 19 races, followed by
5546-528: 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
5664-404: The championship – Vettel's Red Bull Racing teammate Mark Webber , Ferrari 's Fernando Alonso and McLaren 's Lewis Hamilton . This was Bridgestone 's final season as the sole tyre supplier in Formula One as the company announced that it would not renew its contract at the end of the season. After several months of deliberation, Pirelli was chosen as the tyre supplier for the 2011 season at
5782-498: 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
5900-524: The circuit ahead of them, adding his name to the list of drivers Alonso needed to pass in order to win the World Championship. Sebastian Vettel won the race, with the McLarens second and third. Alonso was unable to find a way past Petrov and so finished seventh, handing the title to Vettel by four points. Abu Dhabi was the first time Sebastian Vettel had led the 2010 World Championship. Only twice before in
6018-524: 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
SECTION 50
#17328979943136136-508: The correct wing and nose were fitted. The F111 was then able to qualify comfortably within the 107% time, however both cars retired with technical problems. In the next two races, both cars managed to finish the race. At the Spanish Grand Prix , only Karthikeyan was able to finish the race, while Liuzzi retired with a gearbox problem. In Monaco both drivers crashed in practice and did not enter qualifying, however they were allowed to start
6254-409: The course of the season. The FIA announced its intention to open up the grid, aiming for a total of 13 teams, and in July 2009 selected three new teams from 15 new applicants, as well as confirming the entry of all 10 existing teams. The existing F1 teams, under the FOTA organisation, are understood to have agreed a system of technical support to assist new teams. This compromise proposal would involve
6372-550: 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
6490-432: The end of the 2009 season unless the budget cap rules were changed. Williams and Force India both submitted their own entries and were temporarily suspended from FOTA, while the remaining teams submitted conditional entries for the 2010 season. The 2010 entry list was published by the FIA on 12 June, which included all 2009 teams and three new teams, Campos Meta , Virgin Racing and US F1 Team . Discussions between
6608-468: 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
6726-728: 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
6844-547: The first lap of the race, Karthikeyan managed to beat Ricciardo by 31.8 seconds in the race to finish 17th. Liuzzi returned to replace Karthikeyan for the final two races. Hispania finished 11th in the World Constructors' Championship, ahead of Virgin. ( key ) 2010 Formula One World Championship The 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 64th season of FIA Formula One motor racing . Red Bull Racing won its maiden Constructors' Championship with
6962-474: 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
7080-406: 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
7198-494: The first to take back-to-back victories with wins in Spain and Monaco . Webber was leading the Turkish Grand Prix when teammate Vettel attempted a pass on lap 40 that ended with the two Red Bulls colliding; Vettel retired whilst Webber recovered to finish third behind eventual race winner Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. Hamilton would match Webber's feat of back-to-back victories by claiming first place in Canada . The middle of
SECTION 60
#17328979943137316-577: 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
7434-571: 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
7552-468: 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
7670-421: 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
7788-428: 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
7906-458: The halfway point of the season and saw further tensions within Red Bull. Team principal Christian Horner removed the team's new front wing from Webber's car and placed it on Vettel's for qualifying and the race, after the German driver's wing was damaged in the final practice session. Webber won the race after passing Vettel from second off the start, who then developed a puncture on the first lap and
8024-649: The history of Formula One had the Drivers' World Champion led the championship only for the last race: in 1964 and 1976 . Points were awarded to the top 10 classified finishers. Notes: Notes: Sebastian Vettel Sebastian Vettel ( German pronunciation: [zeˈbasti̯a(ː)n ˈfɛtl̩] ; born 3 July 1987) 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
8142-451: 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
8260-566: 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
8378-401: 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
8496-590: 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
8614-415: 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
8732-439: 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
8850-478: The race in Abu Dhabi. However, the Australian struggled to find speed across the weekend, qualifying behind Alonso and unable to find a way past the Ferrari driver for most of the race. Like Webber, Alonso had opted for an early pit stop in his tyre strategy, but emerged behind Russian rookie Vitaly Petrov . Taking into account the cars ahead of them that had yet to stop, this meant that Alonso would be running sixth on
8968-460: 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
9086-406: 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
9204-467: The race. Liuzzi finished 16th and Karthikeyan 17th, taking advantage of multiple retirements. In Canada Canadian Grand Prix the team enjoyed their best race to date with Liuzzi and Karthikeyan finishing in 13th and 14th places respectively, ahead of both Virgin drivers and one of the Lotus. However, Karthikeyan was given a post-race penalty which demoted him to 17th place. Red Bull test driver Daniel Ricciardo
9322-404: 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
9440-492: 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
9558-716: The remains of Toyota's abandoned TF110 chassis and engine and had access to Toyota Motorsport's former headquarters in Cologne, Germany. After being rejected from the grid, Stefanovic filed a complaint with the European Commission over the entry selection process and then announced his intentions to continue development of the Toyota chassis, re-badged as the Stefan S-01, with the team even going so far as to send equipment to Bahrain, Australia and Malaysia. After several difficulties including
9676-477: The road when he needed to finish fourth to claim the title. McLaren's Jenson Button took the lead of the race when Sebastian Vettel pitted, the 2009 World Champion attempting to extend his lead enough to avoid a costly encounter with Robert Kubica after Lewis Hamilton got caught behind the Renault driver; passing Kubica would give him a chance to catch Vettel, who would resume the lead when Button pitted. Button needed
9794-471: The season and adding a fourth to his tally – and his first Grand Slam – in Singapore . Red Bull reasserted their dominance in Japan , with Vettel winning comfortably from Webber and Alonso third. They were prepared to continue their performance in a rain-delayed Korean Grand Prix , but an early accident eliminated Webber and a late engine failure for Vettel handed the victory to Alonso. Nico Hülkenberg claimed his maiden pole position for Williams by over
9912-406: 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
10030-420: The season saw controversy, starting at the European Grand Prix in Valencia following a disputed safety car ruling. Mark Webber collided with Heikki Kovalainen at the fastest point on the circuit, the collision destroying Webber's front wing and launching Webber into a somersault. The safety car was deployed immediately, joining the circuit behind race leader Vettel, but ahead of then-second placed Hamilton and
10148-474: The season, the three teams soon established themselves with Lotus leading the way, their best result being a twelfth place for Heikki Kovalainen in Japan. Virgin struggled after discovering their fuel tank was too small, forcing them to push their development schedule back five races in order to build a car that could finish the race. Hispania were the slowest of the three, and by mid-season were rotating their drivers on
10266-510: The sixth Ferrari driver to win on debut for the Italian team. Reigning World Champion Jenson Button claimed victory in Australia for the second year in succession, whilst Vettel won in Malaysia , setting up a unique situation that would last for the rest of the season whereby no driver would win a race while leading the World Championship. Button became the first driver to win more than one race with victory in China , but Mark Webber would be
10384-404: 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
10502-412: The start of the season, 2009 Drivers' Champion Jenson Button joined McLaren , while the 2009 Constructors' Champion, Brawn GP , was bought by German motor vehicle manufacturer Mercedes-Benz and was renamed as Mercedes GP . The 2010 season saw the return of the most successful driver in Formula One history at that point, with seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher coming out of retirement after
10620-429: The supply of parts and design knowledge to the new entrants, but not full customer cars, in return for which the budget cap idea was dropped. The three teams on the entry list released in July 2009 included Campos Meta, a Spanish team led by former driver and GP2 team owner Adrian Campos and Madrid-based sports advertising agency Meta Image; Manor Grand Prix, an F3 team run by John Booth and designer Nick Wirth (who
10738-531: The team as the leading cause in the failed joint venture. Later reports suggested that while Hispania no longer had access to the TF110, designer Geoff Willis had been given access to the technical plans of the car for long enough to incorporate ideas from the TF110 into the F111 chassis. Driver Narain Karthikeyan later admitted that the F111 would largely be based on its predecessor, the Hispania F110 . The team set
10856-485: 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
10974-506: 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
11092-891: The team, while Campos-Meta was reimagined as Hispania Racing after investor José Ramón Carabante purchased the team from Adrian Campos shortly before the first race of the season. USF1 officially withdrew from the championship in early March, following months of speculation and accusations from whistleblowers that the team had been crippled by mismanagement for months. The FIA also had several entry bids from other racing teams including World Series by Renault and Le Mans entrant Epsilon Euskadi , Dave Richards's highly successful Prodrive outfit and Italian touring car team N.Technology as well as re-imaginings of former teams March , Brabham , Lola Cars and Team Lotus (not to be confused with Lotus Racing). Other expressions of interest came from Team Superfund , an Austrian outfit to be fronted by former driver Alex Wurz and myf1dream.com,
11210-409: The teams walked out of the meeting after being informed that they were not entered for the 2010 season and could therefore have no input on regulatory discussions. In response it was announced that plans for a breakaway series were still being pursued. Negotiations on a new Concorde Agreement directly with CVC , the commercial rights holders, led to the eventual end of the dispute with its signing by
11328-554: The teams were allowed a maximum of 15,000 km (9,300 mi) over the course of fifteen days in February. Testing sessions were confirmed for Valencia (1–3 February), Jerez (10–13 February and 17–20 February) and Barcelona (25–28 February). All but Campos/Hispania and US F1 took part in the pre-season tests. Pre-season testing started at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia with seven teams. Ferrari dominated
11446-478: The test at the Bahrain International Circuit , one week before the first race of the season , meant that the launch was postponed by just over one week. The team employed Hollywood concept vehicle designer Daniel Simon – known for his work on the 2010 film Tron: Legacy – to design the car's livery. The F111 completed its first timed lap in the last 10 minutes of the third practice session of
11564-427: The test session, with Felipe Massa setting the fastest lap times on days one and two. In his first appearance for the team, Fernando Alonso set the fastest overall time on the third day of the test with 1:11.470. The second session took place at Circuito de Jerez , Spain with heavy downpours throughout the test. This also marked the first public test for new team Virgin Racing who only managed five laps after
11682-479: 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
11800-493: 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
11918-528: The use of team orders to deliberately alter the outcome of a race and faced further sanctions at a meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in September where they face charges of bringing the sport into disrepute, though the hearing would ultimately acquit Ferrari on the grounds of a lack of evidence. After finishing sixth in Germany, Webber won again in Hungary after Vettel broke an obscure safety car rule and
12036-414: 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
12154-436: The weekend. Virgin's testing misery carried on with Lucas di Grassi crashing and more mechanical issues. Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap of the week (1:20.472) with most teams doing low fuel runs on Sunday. The 2010 season saw the debut of three new teams, Virgin , Lotus and Hispania . The teams were often more than three seconds per lap slower than the established teams. After fighting reliability issues early in
12272-572: 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
12390-407: 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
12508-586: 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
12626-511: 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
12744-597: 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
12862-474: 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
12980-427: 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
13098-501: Was contracted to replace Karthikeyan for all the remaining races starting with the British Grand Prix except the Indian Grand Prix , to allow Karthikeyan to race at his home race. Neither Ricciardo or Liuzzi finished better than 18th in any race. On 22 October 2011, a few days before the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, Hispania announced that Karthikeyan would drive in place of Liuzzi rather than Ricciardo. Despite picking up damage in
13216-514: 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
13334-460: Was forced to pit. The German Grand Prix saw a return to form for Ferrari, with both Alonso and Massa quickest over the course of the race meeting. On the anniversary of his accident , Felipe Massa led most of the race before a message from the Ferrari pit appeared to be a coded instruction telling Massa to move over and let Alonso through, granting Alonso seven extra World Championship points for his ultimate win. Ferrari were fined US$ 100,000 for
13452-531: Was formerly involved in the Simtek Ford team who competed in 1994 and 1995 ); and US F1 , a team created by former designer Ken Anderson and journalist Peter Windsor . Following the withdrawal of BMW Sauber, Lotus Racing was accepted to return to the grid for the first time since the 1994 Australian Grand Prix . Manor became known as Virgin Racing after Richard Branson's Virgin Group purchased naming rights to
13570-460: 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
13688-461: Was issued with a drive-through penalty that demoted him to third, while Lewis Hamilton won a wet Belgian Grand Prix from Mark Webber and Robert Kubica while Vettel was involved in a collision with Button that eliminated the incumbent World Champion whilst Vettel was handed his second drive-through penalty in as many races. Fernando Alonso retired after a mistake in the wet. The European season ended in Italy , with Alonso claiming his third victory of
13806-535: 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
13924-401: 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
#312687