In his prime, Sebastian Vettel was unstoppable. Sporting Red Bull colors and driving the fastest car in F1, he became a source of envy in the paddock, winning race after race and securing four consecutive championships between 2010 and 2013. But after that dominant run, his move to Ferrari left him feeling unfulfilled, as he wasn’t able to win a title in red.
The German driver joined Ferrari in 2015, but his arrival coincided with Mercedes’ era of dominance, where Lewis Hamilton cemented himself as the sport’s fastest driver. Despite Vettel’s best efforts with his title challenges in 2017-18, he simply couldn’t overcome Mercedes’ superiority in his Ferrari.
Now, he is looking forward to Hamilton attempting what he couldn’t achieve.
Frustrated by Mercedes’ struggles, Hamilton completed a dream move to Ferrari in 2025. His goal? To end the Italian squad’s 17-year championship drought. And Vettel has nothing but the best wishes for him. “My fingers are crossed,” he said in an interview with Sportsworld.
“His on-track skills don’t need to be reiterated. The numbers and statistics speak for themselves. But it’s great to see that he’s still on the grid, still making an impact, and using his influence in a positive way. Naturally, my fingers are crossed for him to win the championship.“
Sebastian Vettel says he couldn’t win the WDC with Ferrari “because Lewis was there” and his “fingers are crossed for [Lewis Hamilton] to win the championship”
“Well, for me, it didn’t quite work because Lewis was there, so let’s see now how he will get on. My fingers… pic.twitter.com/GzXparMtlu
— sim (@simsgazette) March 25, 2025
Ferrari hasn’t won a championship since 2008, with their last drivers’ title coming in 2007 when Kimi Raikkonen secured his only world title. After those two seasons, Vettel’s rise at Red Bull became a roadblock for the Scuderia. Then, Hamilton and Mercedes went on their juggernaut—where he also sparked a fierce rivalry with Vettel.
Over time, however, that rivalry has evolved into a genuine and enviable friendship, which explains why the German driver is rooting for Hamilton’s record eighth title.
Vettel and Hamilton’s relationship
By 2020, Vettel’s days of competing at the front were over. Ferrari was the sixth-fastest car that year and in 2021, he joined Aston Martin, who were at the back of the grid. The rivalry had officially ended. They both found a common cause to root for—advocating for social causes and human rights.
Vettel and Hamilton used their platform as multi-time world champions to shed some light on the issues that affect society. They advocated for action against climate change, LBGTQ+ and other human rights, and were also vocal in the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement.
In the process, they became close. When Vettel retired at the end of the 2022 season, Hamilton even arranged a farewell dinner for the four-time champion in Abu Dhabi ahead of the final race of the year.
The mutual respect between the two has also increased since, with Vettel calling Hamilton the Greatest of All Time on several occasions—something he wouldn’t have done as an on-track rival.
