Vettel shows his mettle

30th August 2006

German teenager Sebastian Vettel (image) made a stunning Formula One debut by topping the time sheets in Friday practice. The 19-year-old – the youngest man to take part in a grand prix weekend – has been promoted to BMW-Sauber’s reserve car as a replacement for Robert Kubica, who has stepped up to the race team to replace Jacques Villeneuve.

“I am surprised at this result, as I didn’t know the circuit and have had only one proper F1 test,” said Vettel. It wasn’t all good news for the novice, though. He was fined £500 for speeding in the pitlane just nine seconds into his F1 career!