Who Is Sebastian Vettel’s Lucky Charm, Kinky Kylie? Nurburgring Nordschleife Comeback and More

Ever since Sebastian Vettel raced his last Formula 1 Grand Prix last year in Abu Dhabi, we’ve all felt a bit empty. Vettel had become an important character in the Formula 1 paddock throughout his illustrious career. But it wasn’t just the esteem and quality that made the 4x champion a cult hero. The youngest-ever world champion grew into someone who represented something bigger than just himself.

It’s almost like he never got the proper send-off he deserved. After years of domination and wins with both Red Bull and Ferrari, the 36-year-old languished undeservedly in the midfield of the sport for 2 years before he finally decided to call it quits. Hence, it was only fair that maybe as one last hurray, he was afforded the chance to reunite with one of his cars that arguably cemented his legacy as one of the greatest champions this sport has ever seen.

Sebastian Vettel reunited with Kinky Kylie

Vettel is a staunch supporter of environmental causes. With sustainability assuming a high priority in his list, he was reunited with the RB7, which he dubbed ‘Kinky Kylie‘ back in 2011, for a Red Bull show-run at the iconic Nurburgring Nordschleife.

There as part of his ‘Race Without Trace’ campaign championing for sustainable fuels, Vettel was quoted at the event as saying, “I really enjoyed, I had a blast! [I hope] The fun that I had, inspires people to think what fun they want to have and probably can have it in a more responsible way!”

Vettel was strapped into his 2011 championship-winning RB7, which specifically for the event was running on sustainable fuel. The 4x champion made the event worthwhile for over 30,000 fans in attendance. But why did Seb choose Kinky Kylie to grace this spectacularly special occasion?

Who was Kinky Kylie?

Vettel captured the early 2010s with his rapturous run of 4 consecutive title wins with Red Bull. Kinky Kylie was the 2nd of those 4 beasts. Strapped into the 640KG, 750HP rocket ship, the German amassed a staggering 11 wins and 392 points on his way to winning his 2nd consecutive world driver’s title.

While he clinched a whopping 15 pole positions in a 19-race calendar that year, the RB7 was a mighty fast race car, too. And maybe the battles and commanding race wins that Seb enjoyed that year have endeared Kinky Kylie to him for an eternity.

Read More: ‘Baby Schumi’ Sebastian Vettel Had One Major Problem With F1 Idol Michael Schumacher

Vettel’s had this peculiar habit of naming each and every F1 championship car of his. While some let him down, some of them will go down in the history books alongside the man himself. Let’s take a look at the cars that Sebastian Vettel has driven through his illustrious F1 career, as christened by the champ himself.

What did Vettel name each of his cars? From Red Bull to Aston Martin

Vettel made a habit out of winning in Formula 1. The German was supremely talented and a ferocious on-track maverick. But he wasn’t without a bit of panache. He drove his race cars but didn’t treat them as mere machines. He developed a relationship with them, and that’s probably why he always extracted the maximum out of them, even with his often sluggish Aston Martin.

To top it all off, he was one creative man! Let’s take a look at all the amazing names he’s dished out for the cars that he’s driven in Formula 1 ever since his full-time debut in 2008.

2008 – Torro Rosso – STR3 – Julie 

2009 – Red Bull – RB5 – Kate/Kate’s Dirty Sister 

2010 – Red Bull – RB6 – Luscious Liz/Randy Mandy 

2011 – Red Bull – RB7 – Kinky Kylie

2012 – Red Bull – RB8 – Abbey

2013 – Red Bull – RB9 – Hungry Heidi 

2014 – Red Bull – RB10 – Suzie

2015 – Ferrari – SF15-T – Eva

2016 – Ferrari – SF16-H – Margherita 

2017 – Ferrari – SF70H – Gina

2018 – Ferrari – SF71H – Loria 

2019 – Ferrari – SF90 – Lina

2020 – Ferrari – SF1000 – Lucilla 

2021 – Aston Martin – AMR21 – Honey Ryder

Vettel didn’t name his final F1 car, the AMR22. Was it because it was painfully slow? Or was our beloved champion overcome by emotion given the significance of his final Grand Prix racer?

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