Sebastian Vettel: Records, Titles, Best Seasons & More

Sebastian Vettel has been retired from Formula 1 since the end of the 2022 season, but he had already done more than enough to earn a place on any list of the sport's greatest competitors.

Vettel is one of only six drivers to have won four or more world championships and only seven-time winners Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, along with new four-time world champion Max Verstappen, have also won in four successive seasons, as Vettel did in his golden run from 2010 to 2013.

The German ace burst onto the scene with his first F1 victory for the midfield Toro Rosso team in the rain at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix and he remains the sport's youngest world champion.

Starts	299
Wins	53
Podiums	122
Pole Positions	57
Fastest Laps	38
Career Points	3098

Sebastian Vettel profile

Vettel began karting at the age of three and won the German and European junior championships in 2001 at the age of 14.

He moved to single-seater car racing in 2003 and won the European Formula BMW title the following season, winning 18 of the 20 races.

In 2007, he was leading the Formula Renault 3.5 series when he was called up to drive for Sauber in the United States Grand Prix after Robert Kubica's major accident in Canada. He qualified seventh and finished eighth to become the sport's youngest points scorer at the time.

Vettel moved over to the Toro Rosso team as he was contracted to the Red Bull organisation and finished fourth in the Chinese Grand Prix after starting 17th on the grid.

He shot to the world's attention in 2008 when he again starred in wet conditions to win the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, setting a new record at the time for the youngest F1 race winner aged 21.

His performances earned him a move to the main Red Bull team and he finished second in the championship in his first season, winning four races.

That campaign set the foundations for his championship success that followed, with Vettel winning four consecutive titles from 2010 to 2013 and joining illustrious company in the process.

The Vettel era of F1 ended in 2014 as Mercedes established themselves as the new top team and he finished fifth in his final year with Red Bull before emulating his hero Michael Schumacher and moving to Ferrari.

Vettel could not repeat Schumacher's title success with the Italian team, however, although he finished in the top five in each of his first five seasons at Maranello and was runner-up in 2017 and 2018, winning five races each year.

Ferrari announced they would not be extending Vettel's contract beyond his winless 2020 season, when he finished 13th and he moved to Aston Martin for his final two years. Vettel finished 12th in each of those seasons in a struggling car and revealed in July 2022 that he would be retiring at the end of the year.

Sebastian Vettel titles

How many F1 World Championships has Sebastian Vettel won?

Vettel is a four-time F1 world champion having triumphed in four consecutive seasons with Red Bull from 2010 to 2013.

Sebastian Vettel net worth

Vettel's net worth is reported to be around $140million.

Sebastian Vettel's F1 records

Vettel remains the youngest F1 champion having collected his maiden title aged 23 years and 134 days old.

The German set the record for most consecutive race victories in 2013, although his tally of nine was usurped by Max Verstappen in 2023.

2013 was a campaign where Vettel set multiple records, and his achievement of most pole positions in a season (15) remains intact. He also remains the only driver to record consecutive grand chelems, having claimed pole position, the win, and fastest lap in Singapore and Korea in 2013.

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.

Sebastian Vettel best seasons

Vettel dominated F1 from 2010 to 2013, winning 34 races and becoming champion in each season.

He won a tight race against Ferrari's Fernando Alonso to secure his first championship by four points after winning three of the final four races. He overcame a 15-point deficit in the last race and was champion despite not leading the standings until the final day of the season.

After becoming the sport's youngest champion, a record he still holds, Vettel won his second title by a vastly larger margin of 122 points over Jenson Button the following year. The 2012 season brought another close battle with Alonso, which Vettel won by just three points. In 2013 he made it four straight championship wins by a comprehensive 155-point margin, winning the final nine races of the season and 13 in all.

Sebastian Vettel best races

Starting with the obvious one, Vettel's victory at Monza in a Toro Rosso in 2008 propelled him to superstardom.

Thriving in the wet conditions, Vettel became the youngest pole sitter in qualifying and while many anticipated him to fall away in the race, the German steered clear of trouble on the opening lap and built an unassailable lead.

2012 delivered a phenomenal title battle between Vettel and Fernando Alonso for the title. The Spaniard's charge ultimately brought out the best in Vettel, who hauled his Red Bull from a pitlane start to a podium finish in Abu Dhabi.

That set up a thrilling showdown in Brazil and despite sustaining sidepod damage in the opening laps and slipping down the field, Vettel charged back in interchangeable conditions to claim P6, providing him with enough points to stave off Alonso and claim a third world championship.

In 2013, Vettel was indomitable and nothing summarised his season better than his title-clinching triumph in India. Taking pole by more than 0.75 seconds, Vettel recovered from an early pit stop to surge through the pack and finish comfortably clear of the chasing pack.

His move to Ferrari didn't pan out how he would have wanted but his 2018 success at Silverstone was a great demonstration of Vettel's immense talent.

Spoiling Lewis Hamilton's homecoming, Vettel made a daring pass on Valtteri Bottas for the lead and set off into the sunset.

Sebastian Vettel after racing

Vettel has not been involved in F1 since his retirement but has been an advocate for a number issues including climate change. 

It remains to be seen whether he will be tempted out of retirement as other champions such as Niki Lauda, Nigel Mansell and Kimi Raikkonen have been.