© Sutton Images

Now an established race winner, Sebastian Vettel is arguably the star of the new generation of drivers. With a long-term Red Bull contract in place and the rougher edges smoothed it leaves many - himself included - expecting a regular wins and even a championship.

He started his career in karting before moving to Formula BMW in 2003 taking rookie honours; he followed that up by winning 18 of the 20 events on the way to the title the following year. A move to European F3 followed in 2005 and he became BMW Sauber test and reserve driver on 2006. Vettel stayed race sharp by competing in the World Series by Renault before making his F1 debut at Indianapolis in 2007.

Standing in for the injured Robert Kubica, he qualified a solid seventh and finished the race in eighth before moving to Toro Rosso for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Following a few novice mistakes, he finished a strong fourth in the wet Chinese Grand Prix.

He endured a tough start to the 2008 season courtesy of numerous accidents, but Monaco brought the first reward when he finished fifth. Gaining confidence, he recorded his first victory at the rain-hit Italian Grand Prix. Having finished eighth in the championship, he moved to Red Bull Racing challenging for the championship with wins at Shanghai, Silverstone and Suzuka.

Vettel remains under contract to the end of the 2011 season with Red Bull, with an option for 2012. Now with two full F1 seasons behind him, he has the experience to match his natural pace and is expected to spearhead the title aspiration of Red Bull Racing in the coming years.

Strengths and Weaknesses
Having shown outstanding pace in wet weather conditions, his will to win is very much a strength in his character. However, while still relatively inexperienced, this desire for success has resulted in several accidents that could have been avoided.

Career High
After only two full seasons in the sport, Vettel already has a number of high notes, including his first grand prix win. Driving the unfancied Toro Rosso, Vettel claimed pole position in the rain at Monza, in 2008, and went on to dominate the race in tricky conditions. His victory made him the youngest ever grand prix winner.

Career Low
Chasing a podium position in the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji, a lapse of concentration saw him run into the back of second placed Mark Webber whilst running behind the safety car. Both drivers were eliminated with Webber highly critical of the then rookie driver, while Vettel returned to the Toro Rosso pit in tears. He received a ten position grid penalty for the next race for the incident.

Quotes
"The chequered flag is really just a stupid wooden stick and a piece of cloth. It's a small thing, but it means so much when you cross the line."

"Like a ship, a car should be named after a girl as it's sexy. My original car was called Kate. But then it got smashed at the opening race in Australia. So we called this one Kate's Dirty Sister because it is more aggressive and faster."

"I sort of imagine Vettel laughing to himself and telling himself jokes down long straights like this. He seems to have that demeanour about him." Martin Brundle on Vettel.

Trivia
Vettel is something of an anglophile and is well known for his love of British comedy and music including Monty Python, Little Britain and The Beatles. He is also partial to an English breakfast.

Claire Furnell November 2009