World Champion Vettel wins DHL Fastest Lap Award 2012

DHL, the world’s leading logistics group, honored Sebastian Vettel with this year’s DHL Fastest Lap Award during a special ceremony at the final Grand Prix of 2012; the Formula 1 Grande Prêmio Petrobras Do Brasil 2012.

Vettel set the fastest lap six times, scoring the most points and outclassing his opponents, especially in the later stages of the season, despite increasing pressure as competition within the Drivers’ Championship heated up.

Sebastian Vettel, FIA Formula One World Champion of 2012, established an unassailable lead in the fastest lap ranking after the 2012 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in early November and now received his trophy prior to the last race of the season in Sao Paolo. The award was handed over by Joakim Thrane, Managing Director, DHL Express Brazil, and former Formula 1 driver and DHL Ambassador, Christian Danner.

Joakim Thrane noted, “This year’s DHL Fastest Lap Award winner Sebastian Vettel has clearly demonstrated that continually striving for excellence and working closely as a team can deliver performance at top speed.

Red Bull Racing-Renault’s consecutive success in the past two years shows how important teamwork is to achieve success – a highly important ingredient for us also at DHL, as the international specialists in logistics.”

This year’s award winner is no stranger to the DHL Fastest Lap Award and its honors, having previously won the trophy in 2009. He has now equaled the tally of Finnish Lotus-Renault driver Kimi Räikkönen, who won the award in 2007 and 2008, and has matched Räikkönen’s feat in securing both the Drivers’ Championship and DHL Fastest Lap Award in the same season. Vettel was the fastest driver on the circuits in Bahrain, Canada, Hungary, Japan, Abu Dhabi and Austin, followed in the ranking by Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg and Kimi Räikkönen, each of them setting the fastest lap during two Grands Prix of this season

The rules of the DHL Fastest Lap Award are very simple. One point is awarded to the driver who records the fastest lap in every Grand Prix race. The driver with the most points at the end of the season wins the award.