Vettel grew up in Heppenheim, the son of a carpenter, and began karting at age three. He was accepted into the Red Bull Junior Team in 1998 and progressed rapidly through the karting ranks. In 2004 he won the Formula BMW ADAC championship with 18 victories from 20 races. Moving to the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2005, he finished fifth overall and won the Rookie Cup before becoming a BMW Sauber test driver in 2006. That year he set the fastest time in Friday free practice at the Turkish Grand Prix and the Italian Grand Prix as the team's reserve driver, becoming the then-youngest driver to participate in a Formula One Grand Prix weekend at 19 years and 53 days.
Vettel made his race debut at the 2007 United States Grand Prix as a replacement for the injured Robert Kubica at BMW Sauber, finishing eighth to become the then-youngest driver to score a World Championship point. He moved to Toro Rosso mid-season, and at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix drove to victory in wet conditions to become the youngest pole-sitter and race winner in Formula One history at 21 years and 74 days, a result that prompted the German media to dub him "Baby Schumi." Toro Rosso's result remains the team's sole Grand Prix victory.
Promoted to parent team Red Bull Racing for 2009, Vettel won four Grands Prix and finished runner-up to Jenson Button in the World Drivers' Championship. He then won the title-deciding 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to become, aged 23, the youngest World Drivers' Champion in the sport's history, overcoming a 15-point deficit to Fernando Alonso with whom he had been locked in a season-long battle.
Vettel's 2011 season was one of the most dominant in the sport's history: he scored 15 pole positions, 11 race victories, and 17 podiums from 19 races, accumulating a record 392 championship points. His 2012 title came in far more dramatic fashion, spinning at the opening lap of the Brazilian finale before recovering from last to sixth to clinch the championship from Alonso by three points. In 2013 he set a then-record of nine consecutive race wins, winning 13 Grands Prix in total and outscoring runner-up Alonso by 155 points.
Vettel's final season at Red Bull in 2014 proved difficult as he struggled to adapt to the new hybrid power unit regulations and was outqualified by teammate Daniel Ricciardo, becoming the first defending champion since 1998 to fail to win a race during a season. He signed for Ferrari in 2015, replacing Alonso, and finished third in his debut season with three victories. His strongest Ferrari campaigns came in 2017 and 2018 when he engaged in closely fought championship battles with Lewis Hamilton, finishing runner-up in both years after leading the standings at mid-season. A spin while leading the 2018 German Grand Prix and subsequent errors were considered decisive in allowing Hamilton to claim both titles.
Ferrari did not extend his contract beyond 2020 — a difficult season as the SF1000 lacked outright performance — and Vettel joined Aston Martin for 2021 and 2022. He scored his final podium at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix and his final career point at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, his 300th start. He announced his retirement in July 2022.
Vettel was renowned for his ability to extract the maximum from his machinery across an entire race distance, his meticulous work with engineers, and his car control under braking. He made a tradition of giving each of his cars a female name — his championship-winning 2008 Toro Rosso was named Julie, and the Red Bull championship cars became names such as Luscious Liz and Kinky Kylie. He wore a different helmet design at almost every race, accumulating 76 designs by the end of 2013.
Off the track, Vettel became a prominent environmental and climate change activist during his later career years, criticising Formula One's scheduling for unnecessary travel emissions, holding all-women karting events, and wearing pride flag attire at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix. He appeared on the BBC Question Time programme in 2022 to discuss climate issues. After retiring, he became co-owner of the Germany SailGP Team.
Vettel achieved fourth-most wins (53), fourth-most pole positions (57), and fourth-most podium finishes (122) in Formula One history. He won the Race of Champions individual title in 2015 and won the Nations Cup alongside Michael Schumacher six consecutive times from 2007 to 2012. The Autosport Gregor Grant Award was among the honours he received following his retirement.