Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel is no longer a greenhorn German, but a seasoned race car driver now moving into his fifth year on the grid. The 2009 season was a clear indication of Vettel's intentions. The German aimed for the crown in 2010, refusing to accept anything less. His determination saw him to the end as he took the championship along with the chequered flag at Abu Dhabi.

Vettel started young, racing carts in various championships, most notably the Junior Monaco Kart Cup in 2001. In 2003 he moved on to racing in the open wheel category. Further on in 2004 he decimated the competition in the 2004 German Formula BMW Championship where he won 18 races out of 20. The graph was steadily pointing towards a Formula One seat, and in view of that, Vettel started with ASL Mucke Motorsport in the Formula Three Euroseries. He was judged the top rookie after raking up 64 points and bagging 5th position overall. Lewis Hamilton was also on track in the same competition and thus Vettel wasn't able to take home any victories.

Keeping this phenomenal progress in view, he was invited to test the Williams FW27 and later, the BMW Sauber.

In 2006 Sebastian Vettel went on to finish as the runner up in the F3 Euroseries, which was won by Paul Di Resta. Later in 2006 he was called upon by BMW Sauber for the Turkish Grand Prix, where he set the fastest time in the both the Friday practice sessions.

He was confirmed as test driver by BMW in 2007, and debuted in the US GP, replacing Robert Kubica. He started seventh and finished eighth, scoring a point and becoming the youngest driver in F1 history to do so.

A couple of months after the US GP, he was signed up by Scuderi Toro Rosso for a permanent race seat, replacing Scott Speed. Initially, Vettel struggled with the car and wasn't able to pick up pace in the races. All said and done, he finished the season with six points and a whole lot of respect. Come 2008, still with Toro Rosso, he did the unexpected and took the chequered flag at Italy. With a win, he finished eighth on the championship outperforming drivers from the sister team Red Bull.

His phenomenal performance rewarded him a seat at Red Bull, replacing David Coulthard in 2009.Often referred to as 'Junior Schumi', Vettel utilized a faster Red Bull and soared to an unprecedented 2nd in the standings.

2010, to say the least is a season marked by controversies and criticism - notably due to his crash with his team mate in Turkey. But despite it all, his mad dash for the title, despite all odds, winning three of the last four races is the highlight of the season.

With the title in hand and with one of the strongest teams backing him, Vettel's sole objective is to retain the championship and dominate the sport just like a fellow German once did; after all he is 'Junior Schumi'.