Source: Official Team Post via X
Lewis Hamilton Reflects on Vettel's Stunning 2008 Italian GP Win
Lewis Hamilton fondly recalls Sebastian Vettel's remarkable victory at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. Vettel's performance in a less competitive Toro Rosso left a lasting impression on Hamilton, highlighting Vettel's potential as a future world champion.
In a candid reflection, Lewis Hamilton revisited the 2008 Italian Grand Prix where Sebastian Vettel achieved a landmark victory that caught the attention of the motorsport world. The race, held at Monza under wet conditions, saw a young Vettel, then a rookie with Toro Rosso, secure a surprise pole position and follow it up with a dominant win. This win, which Hamilton discussed in the 'Being Sebastian Vettel' documentary, marked Vettel as a future star in Formula 1. Vettel's triumph was not only his first F1 victory but also Toro Rosso's maiden win, a feat repeated only once more by the team, now rebranded as AlphaTauri, when Pierre Gasly won at Monza in 2020.
Back in 2008, Toro Rosso was considered the sixth-best team on the grid, making Vettel’s win all the more impressive. Achieving victory with a car outside the top five constructors is a rare feat, matched by only a handful of drivers in the modern era, including Giancarlo Fisichella with Jordan, Pastor Maldonado with Williams, and Gasly. Monza's rain-soaked circuit proved to be a great equalizer, allowing driver skill to shine through, and Vettel seized the opportunity with both hands.
Hamilton himself finished seventh in that race, having been eliminated in the second segment of qualifying, and was nearly 30 seconds adrift of Vettel. Reflecting on that day, Hamilton acknowledged, "He blitzed everybody in a car far less superior, and I think that was a really defining moment, showing that this guy’s got what it takes to be a world champion."
The victory also made Vettel the youngest F1 race winner at the time, a record that was later broken by Max Verstappen at the age of 18. Since then, Kimi Antonelli has further lowered the age benchmark in the sport. Antonelli, who is now tipped to become the youngest ever world champion, took his first steps in F1 at an even younger age than Vettel did when he clinched his first title in 2010.
Hamilton, who has competed against some of the greatest drivers, including Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, regards Vettel as the best he's ever raced against. This respect has blossomed into a warm friendship over the years, despite the fierce competition between them during the 2010s. Hamilton's admiration for Vettel is evident, emphasizing the mutual respect that exists between the two racing legends.