Vettel: A man of records

Sep 14, 2008, 19:27 GMT

German Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Scuderia Toro Rosso celebrates in the paddock with his team after winning the Italian F1 Grand Prix race at the circuit in Monza, near Milan, 14 September, 2008. EPA/FELIX HEYDER

Monza, Italy - When German Sebastian Vettel took his Toro Rosso over the finishing line at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, he became the youngest-ever winner of a Grand Prix race.

At 21 years and 74 days, Vettel, who started from pole, broke the previous mark of 22 years, 26 days set in August 2003 by Fernando Alonso at the Hungarian Grand Prix, to give his team their first-ever Grand Prix victory.

A day earlier the youngster, who was born July 3, 1987 in the German town of Heppenheim, had already become the youngest-ever driver to take pole position, also beating Fernando Alonso, who took pole in Malaysia in 2003.

Vettel said that as the race was progressing, he could not believe it. 'I was thinking there is still P1 (first place) on the pit board - how can that be?

'And then, when there were no pits stops I thought that nothing can really go wrong. I just wanted to continue doing everything right. It was crucial not to make mistakes and in the end I was just trying to push.'

The two records Vettel broke on the weekend are not the first Formula One records that have his name behind them.

Last season Vettel became the youngest-ever driver to pick up a point when he replaced Robert Kubica in the cockpit of a BMW-Sauber after the Pole had crashed in the Canadian Grand Prix and was not passed to race in the US Grand Prix.

Vettel started from seventh on the grid and finished in eighth position. He was 19 years and 349 days, to beat the record set by Jenson Button, who finished sixth in the 2000 Brazilian Grand Prix, when aged 20 years and 67 days.

At the US Grand Prix Vettel also broke the record for receiving the quickest-career fine when he was fined 1,000 dollars for speeding in the pit lane - nine seconds into his Formula One career.

In July of the same year Vettel was released by BMW to join the Toro Rosso team, replacing American Scott Speed.

In his fifth race for the team at the rain-hit Japanese Grand Prix he seemed on course to finish third behind Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber, but then crashed into Webber when the safety car was out, forcing both cars to retire.

Webber was furious and said: 'It's kids isn9t it... kids with not enough experience - they do a good job and then they fuck it all up.'

Vettel was initially given a 10-place punishment, but this was lifted after footage on YouTube showed that Hamilton might have been responsible for the crash.

But since then, Vettel has improved greatly and came of age on Sunday.

After his first victory he said that he was grateful for his team.

'I have seen every angle of the grid now. It is very difficult racing at the back. You might finish 15th without anybody noticing that you actually did a good job,' he said.

On Sunday though, everybody noticed and the youngster will now be in the spotlight and it seems only a matter of time that comparisons start between him and another German who loved breaking Formula One records: seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.