World Champion Vettel: the pursuit is on
(© picture alliance/ dpa)
Shortly before the start of the 2011 Grand Prix season, the majority of the Formula One team chiefs are pretty sure who will be this year’s champion: Sebastian Vettel, the reigning and youngest ever Formula One world champion, will top the tables again. The 23-year-old German racing driver will begin defending his title at the Australian Grand Prix on March 27 in Melbourne. And at the first of the new season’s 19 races the relentless rivals will be in hot pursuit of the key contender for the title.
To recap: it was only in the exciting final race of 2010 that the Red Bull Racing Team driver managed to secure his first world championship triumph. In Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Vettel started the race in just third position on points, but drove to a convincing win and became world champion. Germany celebrated its new sports star. Vettel’s home town of Heppenheim, in Hesse, was briefly renamed “Vettelheim”. And when it came to choosing Germany’s sportsman of the year, the young Formula One driver was decisively voted into first place. The euphoric response to his title took Vettel by surprise: “It was rather overwhelming.” The racing driver’s career took off at breakneck speed: in 1995 he began racing karts, in 2006 he drove in his first Formula One race, in 2008 he became the youngest ever Grand Prix winner at Monza in Italy, and in 2010 he became the youngest ever Formula One world champion. But, despite his success, Vettel stays as natural as always. Yes, he’s ambitious, but he’s by no means aloof.
In mid March he prematurely extended his Red Bull contract for a further two years until the end of 2014. Vettel is quite relaxed in his role as favourite. He knows he has to be fast and that his car has to be reliable, if he’s going to defend his championship title. The prospects are looking good: the world champion has already demonstrated his strengths in pre-season test drives. There’s a clear signal going out to the greatest rivals of Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren: Vettel is now revving up to become Formula One’s youngest double world champion in 2011.
