Tost praises Vettel's natural talent

Sebastian Vettel bid farewell to Formula 1 with four world titles this calendar year. Franz Tost experienced the German driver up close in his early years at Toro Rosso and soon noticed that he brought special qualities with him. He tells this in conversation with Formula1.com.

Vettel was suddenly given an opportunity at Toro Rosso in the middle of the 2007 season and he grabbed it with both hands. In seven races, he managed to bring in six points, finishing 14th in the world championship. A year later, he came eighth, earning a move to Red Bull Racing.

His time with the Austrian team was extremely successful. Vettel managed to win the world championship four times between 2010 and 2013, which did not surprise Tost. Indeed, according to him, Vettel knew all too well what it took to succeed in Formula 1.

"Many drivers have the skills, the talent. In the past, there were a couple of drivers from the speed, only from the speed, that could have won the championship," Tost recalled. "But they were either stupid or something else. They couldn’t get it together because they didn’t understand the ingredients you must bring together to become a successful driver."