F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel invests in Germany’s new SailGP team

Four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel has revealed a surprise career move, investing in a sport Australia is dominating.

Former Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel has announced he is taking to the water as the co-owner of a new German team in SailGP, a competition for ultra-modern catamarans.

“Parallels between sailors and Formula 1 have long existed,” 35-year-old Vettel said at the team launch in Dusseldorf.

“The boats are fascinating and the speeds on the water are incredibly high.”

The German boat is scheduled to compete when SailGP launches its fourth season in Chicago on June 16-17, which will now feature 10 teams.

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Vettel, who retired after last season, was the youngest world champion in F1 history when he won the first of four consecutive titles in 2010.

He is an investor in the SailGP team owned by German businessman Thomas Riedel.

“Both will take an active role in the management and performance of the team,” SailGP press release, without saying how much Vettel is investing.

SailGP stages regattas close to shore with identical high-performance, foiling, multi-hull boats that can reach speeds of 100 kilometres per hour.

Sebastian Vettel (co-owner) and Erik Heil (Driver) will be at the helm of Germany’s new SailGP team. Photo: Norbert Schmidt for SailGP.

Australia, skippered by Tom Slingsby, has won the first three seasons of SailGP.

Their recent triumph in San Francsico secured an unprecedented three-peat as the Aussies continued their sailing dynasty.

Erik Heil, a 33-year-old double Olympic bronze medallist, will skipper the German boat in its first season.

The Grand Final also featured Great Britain, led by four-time Olympic champion Ben Ainslie, and New Zealand’s Peter Burling, the youngest coxswain to win the America’s Cup.

Slingsby welcomed the introduction of the German team and said Vettel’s investment was a sign of SailGP’s growth.

“Sebastian Vettel joining the league as an investor for the German team is an amazing thing for our sport,” Slingsby said.

“He probably wasn’t a sailor, he probably didn’t know anything about the sport a couple of years ago.

Australia celebrates after winning their third consecutive SailGP championship. (Photo by Josh Edelson / AFP)

“SailGP was a start-up three years and the fact we’re now getting the biggest sportsmen in the world, that’s unbelievable. It’s just a sign of where SailGP is going.

“I’m a big Formula 1 fan and a big Sebastian Vettel fan. I think it’s very cool he’s interested in the league, wants to be a part of it and join our journey. I think it’s really exciting for our sport.

“It will be interesting to see how they (Germany) go results wise. Historically new teams coming into SailGP have struggled and require a lot of talent previously in SailGP.”

When he retired from F1 last year, Vettel said he still loved F1 but his passion for the sport no longer aligned with his wish to spend more time with his family and his environmental interests.

Running parallel to SailGP’s on-water championship, the sailing competition also runs the Impact League, where teams compete to have the greatest environmental improvement in the sustainability in the sport.

SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts with driver Erik Heil and team owners Thomas Reidel and Sebastian Vettel. Photo: Norbert Schmidt for SailGP.

In season three Denmark won the Impact League for clearing several tonnes of plastic from the ocean.

SailGP has long been likened to F1 on water, and Vettel said he was looking forward to discovering the similarities and difference between the two sports.

“I see a lot of potential as SailGP starts its fourth season and for the first time with a German team,” Vettel said.

“The races are exciting and I am happy to be close to them with a motivated group of young sailors. In addition, the series not only uses wind power, but also strives to set new standards in sustainability in sports.”