People’s Champion Sebastian Vettel’s Respectable Image in Danger as the “Bad Boy” Finds Himself in the Firing Line

Formula 1 is going to miss one of its most successful and iconic drivers in Sebastian Vettel. After a concluding race in Abu Dhabi, Vettel shut the door on his amazing 15-year career. This was a sad but momentous occasion for the entire paddock at the Yas Marina Circuit. Every individual was reminiscing about Seb’s iconic moments in the sport.

Former F1 driver Martin Brundle expressed his opinion in a Sky Sports article about Sebastian Vettel. The Sky expert analyst picked out his favorite moments that defined Vettel as a driver and a world champion.

Brundle mentioned that the dinner all 20 drivers went for was the highlight of the Abu Dhabi GP weekend. Of course, when a bunch of F1 drivers come together, there will be banter and amazing stories discussed. The former McLaren driver picked out a few memorable moments that stood out in Vettel’s career.

He mentioned the infamous rivalry between Vettel and Mark Webber at Red Bull in 2009-2013. Vettel and Webber were cut-throat rivals often, with their first major crash occurring at Istanbul in 2010. While every F1 fan may remember Vettel as the bad boy for the ‘Multi-21 Seb’ incident in Malaysia.

Brundle described him, “He wasn’t always that saintly, he was just as feisty, selfish and demanding as you’d expect any four-time world champion to be.”

Read More: Reality Starts to Sink in for the 4x World Champion Sebastian Vettel as He Approaches the Inevitable End: “It Will Get a Little Bit More Difficult…”

And to be fair, that was the image the German carried in his Red Bull days. Although Vettel has retired as one of the most loved drivers, it’s bizarre to imagine that he was the most hated at one point.

Sebastian Vettel and his Golden days at Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel enjoyed one of the best primes for an F1 driver. The sheer dominance he showed on track during his 4 consecutive world championship wins from 2010 to 2013 was unparalleled. Nonetheless, he had his fair share of battles and tussles with several drivers on the grid during this time.

His Red Bull teammate, Mark Webber, was a tough nut. Webber had been with Red Bull prior to Vettel’s debut in 2009. Although when Seb came to Milton-Keynes, he exhibited his talent and flair from the get-go. And over time, Webber and Vettel started developing a tussle that reached its boiling point in Malaysia in 2013.

Besides the Multi-21 incident in Malaysia, Vettel had broken several records in his 4 world title-wining years. Becoming the youngest world champion, youngest double, triple, and quadruple world champion. The record for most consecutive wins in a season (9), along with the most poles in a season at 15. You name it and he may have got it.

Watch This Story: Sebastian Vettel’s Championship Seasons

Eventually, it was a career that peaked early for Vettel, and many envied his success at a young age. He may not have won a world championship after 2013, yet he never stopped his fight for it. What do you think? Which is the moment that fits well for Vettel’s legacy in F1?