Michael Schumacher was Sebastian Vettel’s childhood hero, and the two shared a very close friendship on and off the F1 track.
Before Mercedes’ dominance began in the turbo hybrid era, it was Vettel and Red Bull who were running the show in F1. They faced some challenge from Ferrari and Fernando Alonso, but they failed to take home the prize.
Vettel won four back to back World Championships between 2010 and 2013, and the last one turned out to be his most dominant win of them all. He finished 155 points ahead of Alonso in the standings, which is a staggering gap. Vettel built a gap as huge as this, by winning nine consecutive races in the season, which till this date remains a record.
Another highlight for Vettel during his Red Bull era was that he was able to share the F1 grid with his childhood idol. It’s no secret that Michael Schumacher was Vettel’s hero, and they got to spend time in F1 together during the former’s brief return to the sport in 2010. Schumacher joined the Mercedes outfit, and helped them find their feet in F1.
Michael Schumacher on Sebastian Vettel’s incredible 2013 campaign
Vettel and the seven-time Champion shared a close friendship, which was admired by F1 fans all over the world. The friendship between the two lasts to this very day, and Vettel even acts as a mentor to Schumacher’s son Mick, who’s racing in F1 right now.
After Vettel’s 2013 World Title win, Schumacher admitted that if there was anyone who would break all this records in F1, he wanted that to be Vettel.
“He did a great job,” Schumacher said. “Very consistent. Look at his teammate, that’s the reference point you have to take. I mean he won all those races, thirteen this year I think? Mark Webber, he won none in the end if I’m right.”
Vettel about Michael Schumacher: ‘He was able to drive the red car faster than everyone else and to get the most out of every race. He was still able to get extra performance like I haven’t seen anyone else do. And that for many years”. @Sportbuzzer #F1
— Sebastian Vettel #5 (@sebvettelnews) January 2, 2021
“That’s pretty shocking! I mean I’m glad I’m not his teammate. Definitely, he’s a worthy Champion and I’m truly happy for him. And if somebody can break all my records, I prefer him to do it than somebody else.”
Vettel left Red Bull in 2015 to join Schumacher’s old team Ferrari in a move that didn’t quite work out. After 14 race wins in seven years, the German driver moved to Aston Martin in 2021.
