F1 Record Breaker

Sebastian Vettel mastered the slippery conditions in Shanghai to win the Chinese Grand Prix from pole position. Despite heavy rain, two safety car periods and a slew of accidents on track, Vettel managed to make the win look easy.

The result, his second career win, only ever looked in doubt when rookie Sebastien Buemi in Red Bull's sister team Toro Rosso bumped into the back of Vettel's car.

But the shunt didn't appear to damage Vettel's racing ability as he let loose with a string of fastest laps during the race and enjoyed a comfortable margin of victory.

Vettel has moved up to third position in the driver's championship, behind Brawn GP drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. His new team for 2009, Red Bull Racing, had never won a race before, and with Australian teammate Mark Webber crossing the line in second on Sunday, it has been a dream weekend for Red Bull.

"Thank you for working so hard on the car," Vettel said on team radio after crossing the line "It was a dream to drive today. Together we made it. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much."

Record breaker

Wherever Sebastian Vettel goes, success and records follow. In 2006 he made history just by getting into a BMW F1 car. At the Turkish Grand Prix, Vettel took to the track aged 19 years and 53 days as test driver, becoming the youngest man ever to drive at an F1 race meeting.

Nine seconds later, he set another record, becoming the fastest driver ever to be fined for breaking the rules. On his first ever run out of the pit lane, Vettel broke the speed limit and promptly received a $1,000 fine.

Vettel's big break came in 2007 when he replaced injured BMW driver Robert Kubica and finished eighth in the US Grand Prix in Indianapolis.

This strong showing got the attention of Red Bull Racing, who snapped him up to drive for their sister team Toro Rosso late in the 2007 season. Vettel set no more records that year in a Toro Rosso which often struggled to keep up with the bigger teams. But minnows Toro Rosso just needed to show a little patience, their faith in Vettel's talent would pay off in spades in 2008.

New kid in town

It was at the Italian Grand Prix 2008 in Monza that Sebastian Vettel established himself as more than just another young racing talent.

For the first time in three decades the Italian summer weather failed to deliver on Grand Prix weekend, it rained heavily. The wet weather conditions slowed down some of the front runners, putting more emphasis on driver skill than on car speed. Suddenly Toro Rosso, with Vettel in the cockpit and a sure-footed car in the rain, looked like a contender.

The German grabbed pole position then comfortably drove to victory and became the youngest Grand Prix winner of all time. Vettel's success was the first ever win for Toro Rosso, which has been in F1 under a variety of names since 1985 and has usually finished near the back of the field.

The Life of Sebastian

Now 21 years old, Vettel said comedy is amongst his biggest passions off the track, adding that British surrealist troupe Monty Python is his favorite, betraying his fluent command of English and his quick wit.

Clean-cut, maturing, but still baby-faced, he's a popular figure in the paddock. However, that could change in 2009 if he continues to fight at the front.

Realizing he may not continue to enjoy his opponents' companionship, Vettel once joked, "If you want a friend in the pit lane, then bring your dog here with you!"

Like the majority of F1 drivers, Vettel has been racing since he was a young lad, and he's won virtually every junior series he ever entered. Now, the question is how his career will progress.

Traditionally, his current employer Red Bull would not be considered as an F1 front runner. That's led many observers to tip Vettel for a short stay with Red Bull, followed by a move to a big money outfit like Ferrari or McLaren Mercedes.

But in a 2009 season turned upside down by new technical regulations, Vettel's Red Bull car suddenly looks like one of the quickest in the field, and the young driver may have to get used to bigger, richer teams breathing down his neck.

Most people have tipped this young German as a future World Champion for some time now, but very few would have suggested that 2009 could be his year. However, it wouldn't be the first time that the young speedster from the western German town of Heppenheim made racing history faster than anyone had expected.

Author: Mark Hallam
Editor: Sean Sinico