Race of Champions 2022: Vettel loses out to Loeb: Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel finished with the runner-up trophy after he was beaten by nine-time World Rally Champion Sebastian Loeb in the finals of Race of Champions Sweden. Follow InsideSport.IN for more Formula 1 News and Updates.
Sebastian Vettel teamed up with Haas driver Mick Schumacher for Team Germany. Both of them took on F1 Esports stars Jarno Opmeer and Lucas Blakeley in the Nations Cup final.
Race of Champions 2022: Four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel loses out to Sebastian Loeb in the final
Twenty drivers from various world championships landed in the Swedish resort of Pite Havsbad to compete in the 2022 Race of Champions. Formula 1 had four drivers in it which included, Sebastian Vettel, Mick Schumacher, Valtteri Bottas, and Mika Hakkinen. This year’s event kicked off with the Nations Cup on February 5th and it had a shock in store.
Nations Cup
Jarno Opmeer and Lucas Blakeley booked their places in the Nations Cup by making it to the final of the Race of Champions Esports tournament. Their team was called eROC All-Stars and they had an opening bout against Team Germany on Saturday.
It was Lucas Blakeley, Aston Martin’s 2021 Esports racer, who beat Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel in a one-on-one race. You can say this is something of a consolation prize for Blakeley.
Race of Champions 2022: Four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel loses out to Sebastian Loeb in the final
However, it was Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher for Team Germany who won the round 3-1 and booked their place in the quarter-finals.
Sadly, Sebastian Vettel couldn’t add another one to his seven Nations Cup wins. Team Germany were then knocked out by Team USA. Team USA then lost the final to Team Norway’s father-son duo, Petter and Oliver Solberg.
You just don’t get this anywhere else.
Massive congrats to sim racer Lucas Blakeley on defeating 4-time F1 champ Vettel. Surely the biggest moment in his life. #ROCSweden pic.twitter.com/yXJ8fzQane
— #ROCSweden (@RaceOfChampions) February 5, 2022
Champion of Champions
The Race of Champions tournament took place on Sunday. Sebastian Vettel booked his place in the final by beating W Series’ Emma Kimilainen. He further beat Team USA and IndyCar racer Colton Herta. Lastly, Vettel got the better of nine-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Tom Kristensen.
However, WRC legend Sebastian Loeb proved just too much for the four-time Formula 1 champion, Sebastian Vettel. The Frenchman beat the German and Vettel had to settle for the runner-up spot. Meanwhile, Loeb added a record-equalling fourth ROC win to his growing trophy case.
Race of Champions 2022: Four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel loses out to Sebastian Loeb in the final
German driver Vettel added, “Sebastian Loeb was just too fast today.” The conditions were tricky and it was getting more and more slippery. It is normal for snow and ice when you race on it. I don’t have much experience so it was a struggle to adapt.
He’s sprayed the bubbly 122 times in F1… but Seb’s never had to uncork the bottle before! 🍾😂
❌ Shake bottle
❌ Twist cork
❌ Bash on tyre
❌ Snap cork
✅ Improvise, throw snow instead🎥 x @RaceOfChampions #F1 #ROCSwedenpic.twitter.com/4tsE59xRcT
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 6, 2022
Sebastian further added, “I felt I was improving over time I drove. That is a good sign but I still have to learn a lot. Yesterday I let Team Germany down and we went out very quickly. But today I was getting more into the groove. I knew the final was a big stretch and I pushed too hard. But I had to go for it if I had to be close to Loeb. I made mistakes here and there, and in these conditions, I have some catching up to do.”
Sebastian Vettel leaves Sweden to get ready for the upcoming 2022 Formula 1 season with Aston Martin. They will launch their car, AMR22 on February 10th.
Race of Champions 2022: Four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel loses out to Sebastian Loeb in the final
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