Former Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel converts and completely changes sports

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: DPPI / DPPI Media / DPPI via AFP 19:00 pm, May 31, 2023

Four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel, retired from the paddock since last year, announced on Wednesday the creation of a German team on the SailGP championship, an international regatta circuit aboard state-of-the-art catamarans. "I see a lot of potential as SailGP enters its fourth season (...) The parallels between sailors and Formula 1 have been around for a long time. The boats are fascinating and the speeds on the water are incredibly high," the former racing driver said in a statement.

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Amount not disclosed

Sebastien Vettel has invested an undisclosed amount in the launch of this team, alongside German businessman Thomas Riedel. Both "will play an active role in the management and performance of the team," said the statement sent by SailGP. The two men handed over the helm of their F50, one of the fastest boats on the water reaching nearly 100 km/h, to sailor Erik Heil, 33, a two-time bronze medallist in Olympic sailing. The German team will compete in the first event of the 4th season of the circuit, which starts in Chicago next month, on June 16 and 17.

In front of them, the nine teams involved include some of the best sailors in the world, such as the British Ben Ainslie, four-time gold medalist at the Olympic Games, the New Zealander Peter Burling, youngest helmsman winner of the America's Cup, or Tom Slingsby, at the head of the Australian team, which won the first 3 editions of SailGP. The France, led by Quentin Delapierre, finished 4th overall in the 3rd season. The youngest world champion in the history of Formula 1, four-time champion (from 2010 to 2013), German Sebastian Vettel, now 35 years old, retired from the sport in 2022.