Sebastian Vettel’s present in Formula 1 is far from the best of his career. Today, at the age of 33, the German driver who was established four times as world champion in the highest category of international motorsports is suffering his last races at Ferrari. It is that after six seasons at the wheel of a car of the Italian team, the team based in Maranello is immersed in a deep crisis.
While waiting to figure out what will happen to his future in 2021, Vettel took the opportunity to acquire one of the most iconic cars in the history of Formula 1. Known for being a passionate collector of classic cars, the pilot completed the purchase of a monopost that marked an epoch in F1. According to the German newspaper Bild, the four-time world champion managed to get the chassis of a Williams FW14B, one of the versions that Nigel Mansell drove in the 1992 season, which ended with the British being crowned the winner of the drivers’ championship and with the English team as builders cup champion.
Regarded as one of the best single-seaters in Formula 1 history, the Adrian Newey-designed vehicle was historically renowned for its advanced electronics and famous active suspension. In addition, that version that marked the category at the beginning of the 90s had a Renault V10 engine close to 800 horsepower.
Remembered for the classic blue, yellow and white colors, Vettel confirmed to the medium of his country that he also chose it for a particular detail. “The car is very iconic for me and, like me, it has the number 5”, he said. the current Ferrari driver. Beyond the fact that the athlete accepted that he bought the vehicle, what did not appear in the press was the price that Sebastián paid for the historic Williams de Mansell. In 2019, one of the six chassis of the same version was acquired by another collector at a value close to 3 million euros.
The 92 season of Formula 1 was dominated at will by Williams at the hands of the British driver who celebrated his first and only title in the category. Together with his teammate, the Italian Ricardo Patrese, the franchise achieved ten victories – nine were for Nigel Mansell -, fifteen pole positions, added twenty podiums and six 1-2 in the 16 races on the calendar. Only Ayrton Senna at the Monaco, Hungary and Italy Grand Prix; Gerhard Berger in Canada and Michael Schumacher at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium were able to beat the UK team.
Beyond his fascination with cars, another of Vettel’s passions on wheels is motorcycles. In addition to the first Vespa that his father gave him, the German also has in his collection a Suzuki T 500 two-stroke with an air-cooled engine, a Triumph Boneville T100, a Kawasaki H2 750 from 1972, a Suzuki GSX R750, a BMW R Nine T, a KTM 690 Duke, a BMW S 1000 RR or an MV Agusta Brutale are some of the treasures of the man who knows that his destiny for the coming year is far from Ferrari. (GG) (Taken from Infobae)