It was 9 years ago on the 27th of October when Sebastian Vettel snatched the title with three races to spare. It happened on the Buddh International Circuit in India. By doing so, the German established himself as the fourth (at the time) driver to reach four titles, after Fangio, Prost, and Schumacher. Not to mention that he was the third with four in a row.
Interestingly, 2013 was the last year we saw 13 races one in one season – a feat, matched by Max Verstappen at the United States Grand Prix this year. While the Dutch driver remains a favorite to beat this record, given the remaining three rounds of the championship, we can’t miss the opportunity to celebrate Sebastian Vettel’s last title.
The Venue
India has been keen on hosting a Grand Prix ever since 2007. However, the first one happened in 2011, due to different setbacks. And unfortunately, the Indian Grand Prix was never held again after 2013. What could be the main reason for that?
Well, Sebastian Vettel has won all three Indian Grand Prix… from pole position. This is a very exclusive club, to which he is the only representative.
2013 season
Back in the day, Red Bull was the team to beat. It has gotten to the point where some would argue that Formula 1 became boring. This is why Vettel was not the most popular driver back then.
To make the season even less entertaining, Sebastian won the next three races after the Indian Grand Prix. This formed the record for the longest streak of victories – nine in a row.
2013 Indian Grand Prix
As we said, Sebastian Vettel won the race from the pole position. But the race will also be remembered for the super high degradation of the Soft tire, which required drivers to make early stops. So early, Paul di Resta, Jean-Eric Vergne, and Charles Pic pulled into the pits at the end of lap 1. Vettel and Alonso followed in lap 2.
Since he was with the fastest car by a margin, the German quickly worked his way up the order to finish the race first – about 30 seconds clear of second place Nico Rosberg.
