Sebastian Vettel enjoyed one of the greatest Formula 1 careers in history. The German is one of only five drivers to have won four or more world championships.
With stops at Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Ferrari and, last of all, Aston Martin, Vettel took 53 race victories and 122 podiums. He retired in 2022, more than 15 years on from his debut.
As he won titles at Red Bull and chased glory with Ferrari, he encountered some mighty adversaries. While he cruised to glory in 2011 and 2013, he prevailed in an epic battle with Fernando Alonso in 2012.
To claim his first crown in 2010, he had to see off not only Alonso but teammate Mark Webber and then-McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton. Towards the end of the previous decade, he sought to challenge the supremacy of Hamilton at Mercedes.
Vettel and Ferrari ultimately fell short, but his status as an all-time great is beyond dispute. While there’s been talk of a comeback with Mercedes or even Audi, there’s nothing concrete on that front just yet.
Sebastian Vettel on the biggest surprise package during his F1 career
Vettel ranks seventh on the all-time list for races started (299) and has raced at both the front of the pack in the midfield. In short, he’s seen it all at the highest level.
But when asked by talkSPORT to pick out the driver who surprised him most during his career, he still went for one of the sport’s biggest names.
He marvelled at the way in which Max Verstappen was able to ‘polish’ his raw talent in the early years of his career. Verstappen became the youngest driver in F1 history when he joined Toro Rosso aged 17, and secured his first title six years later in 2021.
Vettel said: “Max — just the sheer skill when he rocked up, how he was able to polish it, and driving at the level that he is today.”
Will Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton’s records?
If, as virtually everybody in the paddock expects, Verstappen wins the title this year, he’ll match Vettel’s tally of four. He recently surpassed him in the all-time wins list and now has 57 under his belt.
In the long run, the 26-year-old may well have his sights on the records set by his great rival Hamilton. The Englishman is tied with Michael Schumacher for championships (seven), but has 12 more victories (103 vs 91).
Verstappen certainly has time on his side, and until the end of the next year at least, he’s likely to be driving the best car on the grid. Still, there are a couple of things that could potentially halt his charge.
The first of those is an ill-judged team move. The other two world champions on the grid have both made major transfers in their career, with wildly different results.
Hamilton’s switch to Mercedes in 2013 proved to be a masterstroke, but Alonso left Ferrari for a doomed McLaren-Honda project in 2015. Amid interest from the Silver Arrows, will Verstappen stick or twist?
He knows that there will be a huge shake-up in the F1 regulations for 2026, which could reset the running order. There’s ‘chatter in the paddock’ that he may have the option to leave Red Bull if he’s concerned about the sustainability of their success.
Then there’s the possibility, flagged up by Christian Danner, that he opts for an early retirement. F1 is embarking on an unprecedented 24-race calendar for this year and next, and Verstappen has always sounded lukewarm about the prospect of continuing for, say, another decade or more.
The post 'The sheer skill' - Sebastian Vettel names the one driver who surprised him most in Formula 1 appeared first on F1 Oversteer.
