SILVERSTONE, England (Reuters) – Four-times Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel celebrated his thirty fifth birthday on Sunday by driving Nigel Mansell’s 1992 title-winning Williams FW14B round Silverstone circuit.
The German, who now owns the V10-engined automobile, waved on the cheering followers as he lapped, with Mansell watching from the pit lane 30 years after his house win on the British Grand Prix monitor.
Twice British GP winner Vettel informed reporters earlier in the week that the drive had been his thought and the automobile would run completely on sustainable gas.
Formula One is because of embrace 100% sustainable fuels in 2026.
“I’m utilizing carbon impartial fuels, to reveal that we will nonetheless grasp on to our historical past and heritage and tradition in motorsport, however do it in a extra accountable manner,” Vettel stated on Thursday.
“It’s no completely different to how the automobile was 30 years in the past, it should sound precisely the identical, it should drive precisely the identical manner.
“I’ll go as quick as I really feel snug with, bearing in thoughts it is my automobile.”
Mansell raced with the crimson quantity 5 on his automobile in 1992, the identical quantity Vettel has used since karting and nonetheless has on his Aston Martin F1 automobile.
“That means a bit extra than simply the automobile from 30 years in the past,” stated Vettel, who was born in 1987.
He stated Mansell’s automobile and the early 90s supplied a few of his first reminiscences of Formula One and he had wished to mark the thirtieth anniversary.
Sunday’s race might be much less pleasing for the German, with Vettel qualifying solely 18th.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, enhancing by Ed Osmond)
