42. Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel is a German racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin, having previously driven for BMW Sauber, Toro Rosso, Red Bull and Ferrari.

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Vettel has won four World Drivers’ Championship titles which he won consecutively from 2010 to 2013. The sport’s youngest World Champion, as of 2020, Vettel has the third most race victories (53) and podium finishes (121) and the fourth most pole positions (57).

Born and raised a Bull, but now very much a Prancing Horse, F1’s poster boy of early achievement had won more than all but two drivers in history by the time he was just 26, including back-to-back world titles between 2010 and 2013.

Vettel’s trademark is pure pace – and of course his one-finger victory salute. In the chase to the chequered flag, he likes to lead from the front and just like his hero, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel has settled in as a race-winning leader at Ferrari.

But for all his competitive streak, Vettel has a playful side too and has been known to let loose with a spot of Beatles karaoke – and baby can he drive a car. Alongside his four world crowns he can boast more than 50 pole positions and race victories, ranking him – statistically – above many of the biggest names in F1 history. No wonder then that he was hand-picked to return Grand Prix racing’s oldest team to glory.

Following his move to Maranello, Vettel’s rivalry with Lewis Hamilton intensified. Opposites off-track – Hamilton leading a glamorous public life while Vettel is a private family man – the duo have often been all too evenly matched on Sundays as they bid not just for more world titles, but to be hailed the best of their generation.

Vettel left the Ferrari team at the end of 2020 after they were unable to agree on contract terms.

Sebastian Vettel joined Aston Martin for the 2021 season, replacing Sergio Pérez. In his debut race weekend in Bahrain, he received a grid penalty in qualifying, forcing him to start last. While Vettel started well, he had a collision with Esteban Ocon, giving him a time penalty and ended up finishing in 15th place. He received five penalty points on his superlicence.

Aston Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer reported no concerns, due to a very different car compared to the Ferrari, lack of laps in pre-season testing and a very impressive race start. In the fifth race of the season, Vettel scored his first points for the team with a 5th place finish in Monaco and finished second in Azerbaijan!