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Sebastian Vettel is now officially retired from Formula 1. And when we look at it, before we even realized it, the drivers of the previous generation, undoubtedly one of the greatest, are all about to fade away, as we are left with a handful of them, including Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. And amongst them, Lewis and Vettel shared a rather cordial relationship with each other due to the common ground that the two had found other than F1. Whereas Fernando Alonso, who was frequently at a crossroads with the two, appeared to be heading in a different direction. And this was all clear, as we saw that despite their issues, Hamilton and Vettel get along well.

When it came to on-track rivalry, Sebastian Vettel, the smartest driver on the grid, knew how to get his way against Lewis Hamilton. Of course, there’s a reason Vettel is so highly regarded. One such incident occurred during the 2015 Chinese Grand Prix, where confusion occurred during the pitlane start. And putting his intelligence on display in a gentlemanly fashion, Sebastian Vettel explained to Lewis and the interviewer why he knew more than the rule book itself.

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When asked in Bahrain about what happened during that start, where Hamilton followed his cue, Vettel explained his start by saying, “Me being German disciplined, you know, very calculative. That’s at least the root of the stereotype German. I read the notes before going into the race and it said do the practice start on the right handside after pit exit where I did my practice. So all you guys just stopped way too early. Okay. I didn’t want to queue, so I jumped the key, stopped on the right, but I stopped in the right place.Then I started.”

“Also, it said in the notes that you are allowed across the white line. So you could have just gone on to the track. Ease off.”

READ MORE: Stepping Into the Wrong Lane, Lewis Hamilton Once Accidentally Showcased Camaraderie for His Former Team

Sebastian understood the rules briefed to him better than any other driver on the grid, as we can see others waiting around the pitlane exit. Surely, his four world championship titles spoke more for him than Lewis?s two at the time.

Sebastian Vettel’s iconic pitlane overtake

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One of the highlights of Sebastian Vettel?s career is his pitlane overtake, which left everyone in shock. The driver used a legal loophole so well that he jumped Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz as he was entering the pitlane!

via Reuters

The move may appear shocking now, and it is also illegal. But due to the leisurely entry of the two drivers, the German took the matter into his own hands and jumped the queue. Following this move, overtaking is now disallowed, thus highlighting the genius brain tactic of the German.

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Vettel is regarded as one of the greatest for a reason; it wasn’t just the trophies that determined his prowess. It was his actions on the track apart from racing that made him a fan favorite.