Behind the story of Vettel ™ finger celebration
Sebastian Vettel trademark finger celebration became matching with Red Bull Racing’s four-season supremacy of Formula 1.
Right index finger celebration salute has been a talking point in F1 for many years, and his former team boss has revealed the inspiration behind it.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ F1 Midweek Report, Trevor Carlin, Vettel’s team boss when he drove in the early stage of his motorsport career in the Formula Renault 3.5 series in 2006 and 2007, has revealed how he believes the celebration came about.
“He was massively fast and in his first season for us and in a race at Spa he decided to take Eau Rouge flat in a wet race,” Carlin said.
“He had a massive accident and while he was trying to catch the accident his front wheel came off, flew over the car and caught the top of his finger – and took the top of his finger off.
“The next day he turned up at the circuit with a big bandage on his finger – and still smiling despite not being able to race. But the top of his finger had broken off and they had to stitch it back on.”
Carlin believes that it was this incident, which led to Vettel raising the damaged finger in victory celebration.
Vettel’s ‘finger celebration’ became so unpopular at the height of Red Bull’s dominance that it was even suggested he should drop it
“We have had a little bit of a chat as some people for some reason seem to get offended,” Vettel told Sky Sports in 2013.
“But I think the most important is you are who you are and stick to that.”
