Sebastian Vettel claimed his fourth consecutive World Drivers’ Championship title in resounding fashion before the season was over with a comprehensive victory at the Indian Grand Prix. Vettel’s four Drivers’ Championships (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013) see him join Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher as the only men to have won four championships in successive seasons.
Sebastian is emerging as a legend of the sport – someone whose records will stand him as a giant of the sport in years to come. The Infiniti Red Bull Racing driver is the youngest-ever quadruple champion. At 26, he is significantly younger than Michael Schumacher (32), Alain Prost (38) and Juan Manuel Fangio (45) were when they achieved their fourth title feat.
The heart and determination of the Infiniti Red Bull Racing and Renault Sport F1 team has led to four Formula 1™ Constructors’ World Championship titles in a row. Infiniti is drawn to Formula 1™ racing because it is engineering genius applied purely to creating emotional excitement. Their synergistic relationship is one that promises thrilling new performance capabilities for both Formula 1™ and Infiniti vehicles. In 2013 Vettel ended the season with 397 points (a new record for points), 13 wins, 16 podiums, 9 pole positions and 7 fastest laps.
Formula One World Championship 2013 Results
GRANDE PRÊMIO PETROBRAS DO BRASIL 2013, Sao Paulo, Brazil (Nov. 24, 2013) – It was a day of high emotion for Infiniti Red Bull Racing in Brazil as Sebastian Vettel completed the 2013 season with another historic win and Mark Webber brought the curtain down on his illustrious F1 career with second place.
Sebastian began the race from his 45th pole position, but a poor start allowed Nico Rosberg to steal the lead in Turn One. Vettel regained the lead on the pit straight at the end of the lap and then streaked away, building a solid gap. During the second stop, his lead was briefly threatened when both he and Webber were simultaneously called in for a pit stop as the team pre-empted a safety car. It did not come and the late call meant the team was not ready with the right tires.
After that, not tires or even the threat of rain kept Sebastian from pushing hard while driving to his 13th victory this season. The tally puts him level with Michael Schumacher in the standings for most wins in a single season.
Mark Webber showed off his impressive skills in fine style at Interlagos, delivering a typically tough and gutsy performance in his final F1 race on the way to the 42nd podium finish of his career to seal the team’s fifth one-two finish of the season.
CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS, Austin ,Texas, United States (Nov. 17, 2013) - The four-time world champion won at the U.S. Grand Prix easily. With this victory, he set an F1 season record with his eighth straight win. Vettel started from the pole position, and with his trademark quick start he came through the first critical turn ahead of the traffic and never looked back. Lotus’ Romain Grosjean of France was second with his best finish of the year, and Vettel’s teammate Mark Webber joined them on the podium steps in third place.
Christian Horner, Team Principal, said after the race: “An incredible team performance…to achieve this result in front of so many of our Team Partners and supporters, as well as setting a potential new pit stop record on Mark’s stop*, topped off a fantastic weekend for the whole team.”
* Our car data showed Mark Webber’s car was stationary for 1.923 seconds during his pit stop – breaking Team Red Bull’s previous record of 2.05 seconds (set at the 2013 Malaysia GP).
ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX, Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi (Nov. 3, 2013) - Sebastian Vettel’s crushing victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was not only the four-time champion’s 11th win of the season but also his seventh in a row, a result that draws him level with Michael Schumacher’s 2004 record for consecutive wins. Mark Webber, meanwhile, finished second to bring the team its third one-two finish of the season and its 15th overall.
AIRTEL INDIAN GRAND PRIX, Uttar Pradesh, India (Oct. 27, 2013) – With three races left in a 19-round 2013 Formula One season, Infiniti Red Bull Racing sealed the double becoming consecutive four-time Constructors’ World Champions and claiming the Drivers’ World Championship crown at the hands of Sebastian Vettel, who became the youngest consecutive four-time winner in the sport’s history. Sebastian Vettel collected his fourth consecutive World Drivers’ Championship title with a comprehensive victory at the Indian Grand Prix finishing almost half a minute ahead of Mercedes’ second-place Nico Rosberg followed by Lotus’ Romain Grosjean in third place.
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX, Suzuka, Japan (Oct. 13, 2013) - Sebastian Vettel worked a brave two-stop strategy to claim his ninth win of the season at Suzuka. His Red Bull teammate Mark Webber finished second, ahead of Lotus’ Romain Grosjean, to hand the team its second one-two finish of the year.
KOREAN GRAND PRIX, Yeongam, South Korea (Oct. 6, 2013) – Sebastian Vettel took his eighth win of the year with a controlled drive to the flag at the Korean Grand Prix, his third consecutive victory at the Yeongam circuit. Sebastian’s win was not as easy as it looked. He had to pull to the front twice through two safety car periods in quick succession in the middle of the race, which tested the championship leader’s nerve.
SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX, Singapore (Sept. 22, 2013) – Sebastian Vettel raced to a commanding Singapore Grand Prix victory, his third in a row at the Marina Bay street circuit.
“It was a phenomenal performance by Sebastian,” said Team Principal Christian Horner. “It was one of his strongest-ever drives, particularly after the safety car came out halfway through the race. It was not the best moment for us, and after that Sebastian needed to pull out a gap of 27 seconds. He pulled out 30 seconds in 15 laps, at times lapping over two seconds quicker than the rest of the field. It was incredible to watch, and it was a thoroughly deserved and really dominant victory.”
GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2013, Monza, Italy (Sept. 8, 2013) – Sebastian Vettel drove to a controlled Italian Grand Prix win ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who was pressured all the way to the checkered flag by third-placed Mark Webber. Alonso briefly lead, but the Ferrari driver could not find the pace necessary to mount a challenge. When he made his only stop on lap 27, Sebastian swept back into the lead with a 10-second cushion in hand. Mark then chased down Alonso in the last third of the race and narrowed the gap to just half a second. Mark ended up in third but was delighted with his best result at a circuit that had been unkind to him in the past.
SHELL BELGIAN GRAND PRIX, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium (Aug. 25, 2013) – Sebastian Vettel powered to a commanding win at the Belgian Grand Prix to extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 46 points over Fernando Alonso, who finished second ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. The championship leader and his RB9 did not miss a beat, stretching his lead over second-placed Alonso to 16.8 seconds by the time he took the checkered flag and claimed his fifth win of the season.
MAGYAR NAGYDÍJ 2013, Budapest, Hungary (July 28, 2013) - Lewis Hamilton won his fourth Hungarian Grand Prix - and 22nd of his career - on a searing hot afternoon in Budapest. Kimi Raikkonen finished second, and Sebastian Vettel claimed third.
GROSSER PREIS SANTANDER VON DEUTSCHLAND 2013, Nurburgring, Germany (July 7, 2013) – Sebastian Vettel claimed a battling first home win at the Nürburgring fending off a late charge from Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen. Romain Grosjean took third place in the second Lotus.
SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX, Santander, Great Britain (June 30, 2013) - The 2013 British Grand Prix took place at the Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, United Kingdom. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton led from the start with Vettel behind him after Rosberg was slow off the line. Vettel caught up and held the race lead until lap 42 when he suffered a gearbox failure and stopped near the start-finish line. Nico Rosberg went on to win the race, holding off Red Bull’s Mark Webber by just 0.7 seconds with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso over 7 seconds down the road in third. Mark Webber also set the lap record (1:33.401), beating the previous record set by Kimi Raikkonen in 2012.
GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 2013, Canada (June 9, 2013) – Sebastian Vettel claimed another victory in the race that took place at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. After taking pole position, Sebastian Vettel took his and Red Bull’s first victory at the Canadian Grand Prix, just over 14 seconds ahead of second-placed Fernando Alonso from Team Ferrari. Hamilton with team Mercedes was in third.
MONACO GRAND PRIX, Monte Carlo (May 26, 2013) - The Circuit de Monaco runs through the streets of Monte Carlo and La Condamine around Monaco harbor. Nico Rosberg strolled to victory on the streets of Monaco after holding the lead from pole position at the start. The Mercedes team driver was never threatened as his closest rivals saved tires, held station and banked solid points. Rosberg was followed to the podium by Sebastian Vettel in second and Mark Webber in third.
GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 2013, Barcelona, Spain (May 12, 2013) - Nico Rosberg took pole position for the race at the Spanish Grand Prix Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Fernando Alonso took his 32nd Grand Prix victory and his second in his home race ahead of Lotus-Renault’s Kimi Räikkönen and his Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa who came in third. Sebastian Vettel retained his lead in the fight for the Formula One Drivers’ Championship with a fourth place position while Mark Webber improved from seventh at the start to a well-deserved fifth place.
GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX, Sakhir, Bahrain (April 21, 2013) - Sebastian Vettel powered to his second consecutive Bahrain International Circuit Grand Prix victory with a dominant drive to the flag that was set up in the opening two laps of an action-packed race to claim his 28th career victory. The win extended his lead in the championship to ten points. Also on the podium was Kimi Raikkonen who finished second and his Lotus teammate Romain Grosjean who scored his first podium finish since Hungary 2012 with a solid drive to third.
UBS CHINESE GRAND PRIX, Shanghai, China (April 14, 2013) - In a wild finish Fernando Alonso cruised to the win at the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix at the Circuit of Shanghai. Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel all were fighting for the second-place position throughout the last lap, but a strong push from Raikkonen in the closing moments ensured his second-place finish. After the third race, the F1 standings for the season had Vettel still on top in the hunt for the championship, Raikkonen three points behind in second, Alonso nine points behind in third and Hamilton 12 points behind in fourth.
PETRONAS MALAYSIA GRAND PRIX, Selangor, Malaysia (March 24, 2013) - Sebastian Vettel won the second race of the 2013 season for Red Bull Racing having started from pole position.
Humidity, hunger and heartbreak were the takeaways from the Malaysian Grand Prix.
The race was marked by controversy surrounding team orders issued by the Red Bull and Mercedes teams. Vettel passed his teammate Mark Webber to win against an order from his team to hold position, and Lewis Hamilton retained third place in front of his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg on orders from Team Principal Ross Brawn.
With no shortage of talking points in Malaysia, long-time pit crew member Ole Schack and the rest of the crew broke the unofficial pitstop record on five occasions in Malaysia. They were not the only team to manage pitstops quicker than they had ever done before, but Mark Webber’s second stop, completed in 2.05 seconds was the new benchmark. “It’s nice to have a really quick stop, but it’s the consistency that counts,” said Ole.
ROLEX AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX, Melbourne, Australia (Mar. 17, 2013) – Sebastian Vettel raced to a third-place finish in the Australian Grand Prix after Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen converted a two-stop strategy in Melbourne to claim the second victory of his Formula One comeback.
Congratulations go out to Vettel for a brilliant fourth consecutive World Drivers’ Championship title! It is a significant accomplishment for Infiniti too since this season marks the first for the premium automotive brand as Title P artner and Vehicle Performance Partner of Infiniti Red Bull Racing. The latest chapter in this partnership has increased Infiniti’s technical collaboration and has enabled both sides to ac cess a pool of innovation, new technologies and R&D resources.