Sebastian Vettel Believes He Wouldn’t Have Been World Champion in 2012 Without This Move

Sebastian Vettel is one of the modern-day maestro’s of F1 racing. The German won 4 consecutive World Championship titles between 2010 and 2013 and was virtually untouchable.

However, things could have been very different had his run been halted in 2012. Vettel only beat Fernando Alonso to the title by a difference of 3 points.

Reflecting on that season, Vettel recalls the race that effectively bolstered his claim to the 3rd championship. The race in question was the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Even before the lights went out, Vettel seemed to be in the midst of a nightmare. He started the race dead last and from the pit lane. Because he was deemed to have insufficient fuel in his car post-qualifying.

However, thanks to some good fortune and excellent racing, Vettel ended the race in P3! According to the current Ferrari man, the move he pulled on Jenson Button to get onto the podium was instrumental in him winning the title that year.

Speaking on the latest episode of the ‘Beyond the Grid‘ podcast, He said, “The funny thing there was people said I didn’t have to overtake Jenson in that final part of the race, 4th was enough.

“But If I hadn’t passed him there and get this extra three points, I don’t think I would have been world champion that year. It was worth it.”

Then, in typical Vettel fashion, he decided to switch the topic. He said, “Maybe that was a good race. But I don’t like talking about myself, let’s talk about something else.”

Sebastian Vettel reflects on his time at Ferrari

The German has already sealed a deal that will see him in an Aston Martin in 2021, effectively ending his chapter with the Scuderia that began in 2015.

He had joined the Maranello-based outfit with ambitions of winning another world title. But that dream was never realized, and the outro seems to be a nightmare that’s taking too long to end.

On his time at the Maranello-based outfit, Vettel said, “I don’t think I will go on having any regrets, thinking back. It is true that I have failed because I set myself the mission of the target to win the championship with Ferrari.

“There’s things that I should have done better. Things that I maybe should have seen earlier. But then again I think everything that happened brought me to where I am now.”

Now, Vettel only has 7 more races to go before he embarks upon his new journey. However, having only won 17 points from 10 races, he’d want to leave on a high note. Can the German turn it around starting from the Eifel Grand Prix? We’ll find out soon.