23/08/2006
NEWS STORY
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The BMW Sauber F1 Team will be back to its full complement of three cars for the Turkish Grand Prix: next to Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica, 19-year-old Sebastian Vettel will be out on the track on Friday at the wheel of the third BMW Sauber F1.06.
BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen: "We are giving Sebastian the chance to prove what he is already capable of. Sebastian is the next in line in the squad of
young drivers, and at the age of just 19 has already carved out a long and successful track record in karting, Formula BMW and Formula 3. Of course Istanbul isn't going to be a walkover for him. Sebastian has far fewer F1 test kilometres on the clock compared to Robert when he joined us. That has to be borne in mind. We will do all we can to support him."
In Istanbul Sebastian will be taking over the job that Robert Kubica did during the first twelve GP weekends in 2006. Since the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Pole has been a team driver and, together with Nick Heidfeld, will be contesting the races for the BMW Sauber F1 Team for the remainder of the season.
Ahead of his involvement in Istanbul, newcomer Vettel said: "I'm absolutely thrilled that the BMW Sauber F1 Team has shown its confidence in me by granting me this opportunity. At the same time, of course, I'm aware that my limited experience in a Formula One car means it's going to be a major challenge. But I will focus totally on the task in hand and try to support Nick, Robert and the engineers in their work as best I can to provide them with plenty of valuable information."
Vettel was born in Heppenheim in the German state of Hesse on 3rd July 1987. He began competing in karting in 1995, winning the German and European Junior Kart Championships in 2001, among other triumphs. In 2004 he made his mark by winning 18 out of 20 races in the German Formula BMW ADAC Championship. Since then he has been sponsored by BMW and Red Bull. He has twice been invited by BMW to take a test drive: in September 2005 and July 2006. Vettel is also competing in the Formula 3 Euro Series, where he won the rookie class in 2005. In the current season he has already taken three wins and is in second place overall after twelve out of 20 races.