Sebastian Vettel, despite being away from the F1 paddock, remains deeply connected to the sport which made him a legend. On social media, the German former driver shares images from past days of glory and shares his memories to document his feelings, which he couldn’t share back then.
Recently, Vettel shed light on the 19th race of the 2012 season — the United States Grand Prix, where Red Bull secured its third Constructors’ World Championship despite Lewis Hamilton edging them out that afternoon.
It was the penultimate race of the campaign, and Vettel had started on pole, knowing what was at stake. Not only was he looking to help his team win, but he was fending off a hungry Fernando Alonso, who was in the running for the title until the very end.
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“It was a very good race and we did everything we could, but unfortunately, we ran into traffic at the wrong time and lost the gap to Lewis,” Vettel wrote, explaining why he finished second to Hamilton. “I respect the positions; Lewis beat us fair and square.”
Thankfully for Vettel, he had finished ahead of Alonso, who stood on the final step of the podium in Austin.
Finish to Vettel’s most difficult Championship win
Today, Vettel’s four consecutive World Championship wins are seen as a ‘dominant era’ in the ex-Red Bull driver’s career. However, two of those wins were far from easy.
In 2010, Vettel clinched the title by finishing just four points ahead of Alonso. Two years later, the Oviedo-born driver mounted an even fiercer title challenge, pushing the battle to the season finale. T
he pivotal moment came in the 2012 US Grand Prix, where Vettel’s finish ahead of Alonso proved decisive. Without that result, he would likely have lost the Championship. In the final race in Sao Paulo, Vettel didn’t even make the podium, with Jenson Button taking the win and Alonso behind in second.
The German spun out on lap one, dropped to the back of the grid, but made a strong recovery drive to end the race in P6, which proved to be crucial. The three-point gap between Vettel and Alonso in Austin ultimately decided the title, as Vettel narrowly clinched the championship that year by the very same margin.
