From a crash helmet to 4 F1 world championships: Red Bull on Sebastian Vettel's journey with the team

Sebastian Vettel's partnership with Red Bull is considered one of the most successful partnerships in the history of the sport. Having said that, the partnership began with just a crash helmet deal with the team as a 13-year-old.

Reminiscing about Sebastian Vettel's journey with the team, Christian Horner told Channel 4 that the journey with the German began when he was only 13 and wrote a letter asking for sponsorship.

The Red Bull boss admitted it was amazing to see Vettel make his way through the junior categories to Formula 1 at Torro Rosso and then to Red Bull, where he won four world titles. Horner said:

"What he's achieved is remarkable. I think back to the time that he did with us. He arrived as a 13-year-old. He got introduced to Red Bull by writing a letter asking for sponsorship. His first deal was a crash helmet from Red Bull, and then the journey from there through the junior team, into Toro Rosso and then Red Bull Racing and those four World Championships."

The Red Bull boss admitted that it would be slightly sad to see Vettel hang up his helmet at the end of the season.

"[They are] unforgettable memories, and he was such a big part of our team. It'll be sad to see him hanging his helmet up."

Horner was questioned about the special element they saw in Vettel, which made them sign him up. The team principal pointed to the German's impressive work ethic. Sebastian Vettel would often be the last driver to leave the paddock and would spend his evenings poring over the data and trying to find improvements.

"There's a lot more to Seb than meets the eye. When we were looking for a replacement for [David Coulthard], he was the emerging young charger. What we saw in him [was] that he's got a great sense of humor. He's a deep, deep thinker [with a] huge work ethic. He'd be longer in the paddock than any other driver, poring over data, and [that] made him so popular within the team."

You could see Sebastian Vettel growing his passion in other things

Horner recently revealed that he felt that Vettel's interests and passions were starting to grow beyond the sport. The German was becoming more and more interested in things beyond F1 and it was becoming increasingly evident.

"But you could see his passion for other things growing as well, and he obviously feels very strongly about all the things that he's representing, which I think is great to see, and he's been a great ambassador."

Vettel announced his retirement from F1 on the eve of the Hungarian GP.