At first glance Red Bull driver and 2009 Formula One runner-up Sebastian Vettel looks more like a choirboy than a ruthless racing driver. He has a fresh-faced, angelic look that makes him appear younger than he is, but looks are certainly deceptive when it comes to this fast, determined racing driver who was welcomed as a breath of fresh air when he joined the F1 circus in 2006. He made history by being the youngest driver to take part in a grand prix weekend when on 25th August - just a few weeks after his 19th birthday - he became a Friday driver for the BMW Sauber F1 Team at the Turkish Grand Prix. That weekend saw another record claimed: no driver had picked up an F1 speeding fine as quickly as the young man from Heppenheim. In just nine seconds, he was clocked for exceeding the speed limit in the pit lane.

While he took the Formula One world by storm by being quickest overall on that Friday, anyone who had followed the career of this young German was not surprised at his meteoric rise to stardom.

Vettel had been a winner since he first donned overalls and helmet. In 1995 he claimed his first kart victory in the Bambini class in Wittgenborn. In 2001 he was European and German Junior Kart Champion, as well as winning prestigious kart races in Monaco and Paris-Bercy, and when he moved to Formula racing in 2003 he was again in the winners´ circle from the start. He was just 15 years old when he embarked on his first season of the Formula BMW ADAC Championship. By the end of the year he was 16, Rookie Champion and runner-up in the series.

In 2004, his second year in BMW´s entry-level series, he took the title and set a record that will take a long time to beat: 18 wins from 20 races, 15 pole positions, 16 fastest race laps, 387 out of 400 points on offer. BMW recognised his potential and gave him a joint contract with Red Bull. For 2005 a move up to the Formula 3 Euro Series was on the agenda for Vettel.

It was in 2006 that he claimed his first wins in Formula 3. Vettel triumphed in Hockenheim, on the Nürburgring and in Barcelona. But this was not an entirely trouble-free year. He also contested a few races in the World Series by Renault. He won a race in Misano, but suffered a big accident in Spa at the end of July. Flying debris almost sliced off part of his index finger. It was predicted that he would be out of racing several weeks, but a week later Vettel was back behind the wheel in the Formula 3 Masters in Zandvoort, where he astonished his own team boss by finishing sixth.

It was shortly after this that the big break came for Vettel when the BMW Sauber F1 Team was looking for a Friday driver replacement for Robert Kubica, who had been promoted to a race team driver from the Hungarian Grand Prix onwards. Vettel had been given a second test chance in Jerez on 5th July and managed to persuade BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen that he need look no further for his Friday driver. In the remaining five races of the season, the youngster handled his task so well that the team announced him as the official test and reserve driver for 2007 just before the season final in Brazil. Soon he would became a race driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso, the youngest man to clinch a Pole Position and a victory in Formula One and championship runner-up for Red Bull Racing in 2009.

While Vettel was well known in Germany, international Formula One journalists knew very little about him. That was soon to change. From his very first appearance as a Friday driver, the young lad fresh from high school was the talk of the paddock. His sense of humour particularly struck a chord with the British media when he declared himself a fan of the popular UK TV series Little Britain, stated his favourite group was the Beatles and his favourite film Monty Python´s Life of Brian. His self-assured manner and ability to answer even the most searching questions from seasoned journalists earned him respect, while his easygoing manner ensured his popularity.