Happy Birthday Sebastian Vettel: A look at his top 5 Grand Prix performances-Sports News , Firstpost

File image of four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel. AP

Sebastian Vettel is a German Formula 1 driver, racing for the Aston Martin Cognizant team. He has also driven for BMW Sauber, Torro Rosso, Red Bull and Ferrari during his 14-year-long career. From starting his Formula One career as a test driver in 2006 for BMW Sauber, he has come a long way to become one of the toughest drivers in the elite competition.

During his career spanning more than a decade, Vettel has bagged four World Driver’s Championship titles. After being promoted to Red Bull in 2009, he became the youngest F1 world champion in 2010 and went on conquering it for four consecutive seasons till 2013. He also won 13 races in 2010 — the most by any racer in a single season.

Vettel joined Ferrari in 2015 and delivered a close competition to Mercedes and their star racer Lewis Hamilton in two title battles in 2017 and 2018, ultimately finishing runner-up on both occasions. Later in 2021, he appeared for Aston Martin replacing Sergio Perez. To date, he has 53 race wins, 122 podium finishes and 57 pole positions.

Today on his 35th birthday, we take a look at his five best performances ever:

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2012 (3rd): This is considered the most complete performance of Vettel who was challenging for his world title in 2012. After starting off the mega drive from the pit lane, he avoided many crashes with all his intelligence and experience to get a very commendable third-place finish. He came one place behind Fernando Alonso who had mounted a monstrous challenge in a Ferrari at that time. It was the day when Vettel became a complete driver.

Singapore Grand Prix 2013 (1st): Vettel was at the peak of his four years of ultimate dominance when he appeared in the Singapore Grand Prix in 2013. At the very start, he had tussled with Nico Rosberg for the lead and then pulled away from the chaos at a vast rate of knots. The lead got more clear after a safety car period at the midway point. He put up a gap of 3.2 seconds within a single lap and the advantage extended to 22 seconds just after 10 laps.

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2010 (1st): While Vettel was very much an outsider in 2010, there were a few who expected him to become world champion at the age of 23. From starting the race 15 points behind championship leader Alonso to being awarded the title, Vettel kept his cool following a simple drive to convert pole position into a relatively comfortable victory.

Brazilian Grand Prix 2012 (6th): Vettel got off to a cautious start, and sustained a damage at the rear end of his car, and his hopes of winning the title at the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix were quickly fading away. But his aggressive driving on dry tyres in the rainy conditions at the Interlagos circuit resulted in him finishing 6th after the final lap. Later, he beat Alonso by three points to record his third World Championship Title.

Malaysia Grand Prix 2013 (1st): The 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix marks the most controversial moment in Formula One’s recent history as Vettel passed teammate Mark Webber for victory, defying a direct order from the Red Bull team. Webber started the race at No 2 right after Vettel. Though the decision had been criticised by many, it highlighted Vettel’s state of mind that he would allow no one — not even his own colleagues when it came to the World Championship.

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