BERLIN, Oct 21 — Sebastian Vettel has revealed that his first contact with Ferrari came after his second Formula One world title, but he turned the Scuderia down at the time because he was happy and successful at Red Bull, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

“The first contact came in 2012 after the second title,” Vettel said in a documentary about him by public broadcaster ARD, titled Being Sebastian Vettel.

Vettel said he received a letter from then Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo congratulating him, “without referring to anything else”.

But Ferrari, looking to return to the winning ways it had enjoyed a few years earlier during the Michael Schumacher era, went a step further.

Vettel said he had “a very secret meeting” with Di Montezemolo, during which “he asked, what is the contractual situation, do you want to drive for Ferrari?”

Vettel said he saw no reason to move at the time.

“So I turned them down, but of course I left the door open a little bit,” he said.

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

He won 14 races for the Scuderia out of 53 victories in his Formula One career, but failed to secure a world title with Ferrari.

He left the team after the 2020 season and retired in 2022 following two seasons with Aston Martin.

The four-part documentary, available from tomorrow, also explores the sacrifices his parents made to finance his racing career in its early days.

“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 had felt a responsibility to deliver from his early karting days onwards.

Vettel became the youngest world champion at the age of 23 in 2010.

However, he is set to lose that record to Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, who is 20 and has his first chance to clinch the 2026 title on Sunday at the United States (US) Grand Prix.

Others appearing in the documentary include Vettel’s former Red Bull mentor Helmut Marko and Lewis Hamilton, his long-time rival who became a friend.

Like Vettel, Hamilton has interests beyond motorsport.

Vettel also discusses former German economy minister Robert Habeck of the Green Party, reflecting his engagement with environmental protection and sustainability.

The documentary opens with Vettel holding a non-F1 trophy — a glass rhinoceros he received after being named 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. — Bernama-dpa