Sebastian Vettel F1 Blog: Nürburgring | Golfing with Kaymer

Sebastian Vettel is back on home soil for the German F1 Grand Prix and ahead of first practice, he finds time to tell us in his blog about skill-swapping with a sporting compatriot

by Sebastian Vettel on Jul 22, 2011

Hi guys!

It feels amazing to finally be back at the Nürburgring, simply because it's very easy to mix my professional and personal life, since my whole family lives close to the track. And as you know, there's no better place on earth than home. I also like this track because it brings back so many great memories from my past. After all, I raced here quite often and not only in a Formula 1 car.

There is one special race I will always remember, back from the days when I was still racing in the Formula BMW. We were in the pre-programme of the Formula 1 and that made it even more special to win. Just the feeling of being that close to the highest class of racing and the energy from the crowd was just unbelievable. I will never forget that day.

Another special moment at the ring just happened today, when I was allowed to race a few laps with German golf pro Martin Kaymer in one of our cars. I can tell you, he looked a bit pale during the first rounds, but the more time we spend on the track, the more he enjoyed it. In return he gave me some golf tips while we were taking a break at the Nordschleife [the oldest part of the track, which opened in 1927].

'I will be extremely sad if this is the last race at the Nürburgring'

I had better confess – no, I didn't manage to hit the golf ball into my trunk, but I made it fly pretty far – over a fence and onto a field. Well, we left the ball there. It would have taken too much time to get it back. All in all I just had an amazing day and I hope Martin will be back next year so we can do it all again.

Another thing that makes this track so special is of course, its history. People have raced here since 1925 and just the thought of how many legends won here gives me chills. That's one of the reasons why I will be extremely sad if this is the last race at the Nürburgring.

It wouldn't just be painful for us drivers, but also for the people who work and live nearby. After all the area benefited a lot from the races and events and I am sure that they will be missed once they won't take place anymore. That's why I hope that the people in charge will think a lot before they decide to future races.

I must say, thinking about it, I have a pretty good feeling for a German vitory. After all we have six German drivers, so the statistics are already in our favour. What's more? The car is great, my team is amazing, it's raining – what more can I ask for?

Talk to you later!

Seb

Source: Red Bull