F1 Throwback: Sebastian Vettel reacts to winning his 1st F1 world title: “We must be in a bl**dy good position!”

For Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing, 2010 was a historic year. The German won the first of his four Drivers' Championships and the team won the first of its five Constructors' Championships.

While Red Bull sealed the team title with a 1-2 finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Vettel clinched his title by finishing first at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

He, however, was unaware of how the title battle was unfolding as he focused on winning the race in Abu Dhabi. Speaking at a press conference after the Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel said:

“To be honest I didn’t know anything until I took the chequered flag. The last ten laps I was wondering because my race engineer [Guillaume] Rocquelin was trying to give me advice in the last ten laps to bring the car home. And I was think “why is this guy so nervous? We must be in a bloody good position!”

He added:

“And then crossing the line he came on the line very silently and said “it’s looking good, we have to wait until the cars finish” and I was thinking “what does he mean?” Because I hadn’t seen the screens, I just wanted to make sure not to get any distractions, just focus on myself. And then he comes on the radio and screams at me that we’ve won the world championship.”

It was the first of four F1 titles for Vettel, who reigned supreme for the next three years to etch his name into motorsport history. Over those three years, he and Mark Webber ensured that Red Bull also took the Constructors' trophy home.

It took the team until 2021 to win the Drivers' Championships again through Max Verstappen, and until 2022 to regain the Constructors' trophy.

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“A unique feeling” - Red Bull boss Christian Horner recalls Sebastian Vettel's 2010 F1 title win

Christian Horner has been with Red Bull since its inception and has overseen multiple titles, both drivers' and constructors'. Most recently, he helped Max Verstappen to back-to-back titles, breaking Mercedes' monopoly.

However, Sebastian Vettel's championship win at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ranks as the “biggest moment” of Horner's career, the Englishman revealed.

As reported by grandprix247.com, the Red Bull boss said:

“Undoubtedly, the first time I won it. Yeah, I was 35, or something like that. And that was in the last race in Abu Dhabi, against the ultimate Sebastian Vettel. That was a unique feeling. And it was one of the rare races that Dietrich Mateschitz would actually come to. So for him to be there was very special.”