Sebastian Vettel reveals the ‘key moment’ that brought him and Lewis Hamilton closer to each other

Samriddhi Jaiswal | 07/01/2023
Sebastian Vettel reveals the 'key moment' that brought him and Lewis Hamilton closer to each other

Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton had many on-track battles before the German driver decided to retire from the sport.

While they found themselves as racing rivals for most of their career, their relationship turned into friendship in the final years of Vettel’s career.

From battling for championship titles to campaigning for societal and environmental change, Vettel and Hamilton have become close friends.

The 7-time world champion even arranged a farewell dinner party for his mate at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where all 20 drivers came together in a rare show of unity.

However, things were not always as smooth between the duo as it is now. Speaking to the Beyond The Grid Podcast, Vettel revealed the key moment that brought them closer together.

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A crash that brought Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton closer

It was the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Vettel and Hamilton were running at the front when Vettel ploughed into the rear of Hamilton’s car while behind the safety car.

The collision damaged the front wing of Vettel’s Ferrari and the rear diffuser of the Mercedes. After the race, Vettel said that Hamilton had brake tested him and that’s what caused the collision.

Speaking at the podcast, Vettel said that he was very upset at the time. His emotional side took too much out of him in the heat of the moment.

But that was the “key moment”. “It could have made us step away from each other more or bring us together and it brought us together,” he said.

Hamilton wanted to sort the matter face to face

During the time when Vettel made the accusations of Hamilton brake-testing him, the Mercedes driver had gotten extremely furious.

The Briton was so fumed that he challenged his fellow driver to sort out the matter face-to-face outside of the car. Hamilton claimed that Vettel was obviously sleeping and deliberately drove into a driver.

He further suggested that if Vettel wants to prove he’s a man, they should sort it out outside of the car.

However, speaking to the podcast, Vettel said that he had thought about what had happened and admitted that his feelings and way of communication were wrong and very unsportsmanlike. Therefore the duo talked to each other later and became closer.

Also Read: Lewis Hamilton once considered hiring Kris Jenner as his manager in Formula 1

Post Edited By: Samriddhi Jaiswal
ferrari Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Sebastian Vettel

About the author

Samriddhi Jaiswal

Samriddhi Jaiswal is an F1 editor and writer at The SportsRush. She started her career as a business journalist but soon found her calling in lights out here we go! Samriddhi has been a Ferrari fan even when her interaction with F1 was occasional. Her first real experience with the thrilling sport came when Charles Leclerc clinched his iconic victory in Spa and Monza and painted the track red. Now, a Tifosi, Samriddhi is a hardcore fan of the prancing horse and can relate to the chaos within the Italian camp and also admires Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Off the track, she finds her home in books and musical instruments.

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