Sebastian Vettel pulled off one of the most sensational upsets in Formula 1 history when he and Toro Rosso upstaged the big teams to win from pole in the wet 2008 Italian Grand Prix.

That memorable weekend made Vettel the championship’s youngest ever pole-sitter and winner, and underlined his status as Germany’s new F1 hero post-Michael Schumacher.

Now he moves to the senior Red Bull Racing team that he helped junior squad STR upstage in 2008, but don’t expect a backwards step, for many reckon RBR’s design ace Adrian Newey will outsmart his rivals under the radical new technical rules.

The combination of a classic Newey chassis and a Vettel whose reputation grows with every race could be devastatingly effective.


Career log

At the age of just 19, Vettel became BMW’s Friday tester when Robert Kubica was called up to the race team in August 2006, and then got his own race chance at Indianapolis the following summer following Kubica’s violent Montreal crash.

Vettel didn’t waste the opportunity – flying in practice and recovering from a first corner error to finish eighth.

A month later, he was back on the grid when Toro Rosso lost patience with Scott Speed.

After a few middling races, Vettel showed his true ability by running an amazing third in the wet in Japan...until he ploughed into Mark Webber behind the safety car.

That error left Vettel distraught, but he atoned with a sublime drive to fourth at the very next race in Shanghai.

A frustrating start to 2008 saw Vettel involved in a string of first-lap collisions, but once Toro Rosso introduced its new car in Monaco, he never looked back.

Fifth place (from the back of the grid) on the Principality’s streets set the ball rolling and by the summer he was a regular points finisher – and even a winner at Monza.


The early years

Vettel had the unusual honour of being a protégé of two F1 teams while still in his teens.

He was added to Red Bull’s roster of rising stars before he started car racing and BMW then also took him under its wing after he claimed an astonishing 18 wins from 20 races in the 2004 German Formula BMW Championship.

A Formula 3 Euro Series campaign followed, with a series of rookie podiums earning him a drive with champion team ASM – and title favourite status – for 2006.

But it didn’t quite work out as planned, as Vettel narrowly lost the championship to team-mate Paul di Resta.

His packed racing diary was held responsible, for by mid-season he was also dabbling with the World Series by Renault and F1 testing.

Vettel was given a WSR run after another Red Bull protégé disappointed, and pulled off a double win on his debut, then nearly lost a finger in a massive accident in the following round at Spa.

If this distracting whirlwind of a schedule cost Vettel the F3 title it mattered little, for his impressive performances in front of the F1 paddock were more important for his career.

His intention for 2007 was to claim the WSR title, but F1 intervened once again.

He had established a comfortable championship lead in the Renault series by mid-season, before being summoned by Toro Rosso.