Even though the 22-year old German driver came close to becoming world Formula One champion in 2009 – he was 11 points short of doing so and therefore unable to hand Germany its first F1 trophy in the post-Schumacher era – Vettel's performance was no match to professional swimmer Paul Biedermann's in 2009.
Biedermann did the unimaginable during the course of the 2009 season and broke Ian Thorpe's record in the 400m freestyle, which the Australian ace had set back in 2002. In addition to that record, the German swimmer also set another world record of his own, in the 200m event.
“Biedermann's 2009 feats attracted 3,569 votes, compared with Vettel's 2,034. German discus thrower Robert Harting placed third, 597 votes behind Vettel,” added the report coming from the GMM news agency.
In addition to his runner-up spot in the 2009 Formula One championship, Vettel also received the 2009 DHL Fastest Lap Award following his Abu Dhabi GP win. During the race at the Yas Marina Circuit, the German driver scored his 3rd fastest lap of the season and went on to beat his teammate to the aforementioned award.
A few days after the Abu Dhabi GP, Vettel went on to bring Germany another win in the Race of Champions Nation Cup, where he teamed up with 7-time world champion Michael Schumacher. He was afterwards handed the ADAC Sportsman of the Year award.
Google News