Vettel: First Ferrari contact long before joining Scuderia

Sebastian Vettel has revealed that his first contact with Ferrari dated back to after his second Formula One title but that he turned the Scuderia down at the time because he was happy and successful at Red Bull.

"The first contact came in 2012 after the second title," Vettel said in a documentary on him by public broadcasters ARD, titled "Being Sebastian Vettel."

Vettel said it was a letter from then Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, simply congratulating him and "without referring to anything else."

But Ferrari, looking to return to the winning ways they had enjoyed a few years earlier in the Michael Schumacher era, went a step further and Vettel said he had "a very secret meeting" with Di Montezemolo in which "he asked, what is the contractual situation, do you want to drive for Ferrari?"

Vettel said he saw no reason for a move at the time, "so I turned them down, but of course I left the door open a little bit."

Vettel won two more world titles with Red Bull in 2012 and 2013 but he eventually joined Ferrari in 2015 after a winless final season with Red Bull.

He won 14 races for the Scuderia, from 53 top spots overall, but no world title and left after the 2020 season, retiring in 2022 after two seasons with Aston Martin. 

The four-part documentary available from Thursday also touches on the sacrifices his parents made to finance his racing career early on.

"Of course I was aware that the financial situation was tense, that it wasn't easy when the next reminder notice arrived at home," Vettel said, adding that he felt a responsibility from his early karting days onwards to deliver.

Vettel became the youngest world champion at age 23 in 2010. But he is set to lose this record to Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, who is 20 and has a first chance to clinch the 2026 title on Sunday at the United States Grand Prix. 

Others appearing in the documentary include his former Red Bull mentor Helmut Marko and Lewis Hamilton, his long-time rival who became a friend because like him Vettel has interests beyond motor sports.

Vettel talks about former German minister for economic affairs Robert Habeck from the Greens Party, based on Vettel's engagement for the environment and sustainability.

The documentary starts with Vettel holding a non-F1 trophy, a rhino made of glass he received as Environmentalist of the Year in early 2026.

“I believe that the path I have now begun to follow is sustainable in the sense that it brings me fulfilment,” Vettel said.