From that moment on, the podium seemed to be so close and yet continued to be just out of reach: he came 4th in the 2007 Chinese GP and 5th first in the 2008 Monaco GP and then in the 2008 Belgium GP. As in all the best fairy tales, the wait before ascending to the throne was an integral part of Sebastian’s destiny. In Monza, on September 13, 2008, taking advantage of the rain, Vettel managed to put everything behind him first in Q2 and then in the decisive Q3. Just 76 thousandths of a second ahead, enough to make him the youngest poleman of all times, a record he holds to this day.
As midnight struck, many believed the magic would have vanished and his rivals would have gobbled him up. Contrary to expectations, though, the day after his Ferrari-engined STR3 did not turn into a pumpkin thanks also to the driving skills of Sebastian who was the first to pass the checkered flag. Before then, no Under 22 had ever won in Formula 1: Vettel had succeeded in doing so at the age of 21 years, 2 months and 11 days, the second best performance of all time even today. In Ravenna he became a myth and King Mateschitz invited him to court to bring the imperial crown to Austria, a feat that none of his predecessors had succeeded in accomplishing.
With Red Bull, he took just 3 races to achieve a second pole position-win. Encouraged by this, he set the bar higher and between June 20 and 21, 2009 he achieved pole position, won the British GP and the fastest lap time. All this when he was only 21 years, 11 months and 18 days old.