Sebastian Vettel shocked the world with his maiden Formula 1 win at the 2008 Grand Prix.
In just his first full season in the sport, and his 22nd race in total, Vettel put in a masterful performance in wet conditions to take the chequered flag first, 12 seconds ahead of Heikki Kovalainen in second and 20 seconds ahead of Robert Kubica in third.
It was a masterful performance that belied the German’s age, one that was backed up over the whole weekend after the Toro Rosso driver had qualified on pole on Saturday.
Ahead of F1’s return to Monza for the 2025 Italian Grand Prix, here are five records that Vettel broke that weekend.
Youngest ever pole sitter
In qualifying in pole position at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel became the youngest ever Formula 1 driver to do so.
At just 21 years and 72 days, he beat the record previously held by Fernando Alonso, who was 21 years and 236 days old when he qualified on pole position at the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix for Renault.
With the McLaren of Kovalainen less than a tenth behind him, Vettel was a class above everyone else in the field in soaking wet conditions, qualifying more than half a second ahead of future teammate Mark Webber in third, and more than two seconds ahead of two-time World Champion Alonso.
It was a sign of things to come for a driver who would go on to claim 57 pole positions, the fourth most in the sport’s history.
Youngest ever Formula 1 winner
Just a day later, at 21 years and 73 days, Vettel would back up his Saturday performance to become Formula 1’s youngest ever race winner.
In wet conditions, the Toro Rosso driver navigated a rolling start to lead into the first corner ahead of Kovalainen, Webber and Kubica.
Opening up an immediate two-second gap to Kovalainen behind, Vettel never looked back, extending it to 6.3 seconds by lap eight.
He would maintain this control over the race after the full grid had pitted, going on to win by over 12 seconds.
While Max Verstappen would go on to break this record at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Vettel’s achievement should not be forgotten.
First German race winner since Michael Schumacher
In claiming victory at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, Vettel became the first German driver to win a Formula 1 race since Michael Schumacher’s success at the 2006 Chinese Grand Prix.
One of Formula 1’s greatest ever drivers, and Vettel’s self-proclaimed idol, Schumacher would go on to compete against his compatriot between 2010 and 2012 after returning to the sport following a four-year hiatus.
While competing against him, the 56-year-old would see Vettel claim the first of his three world titles in that period, success that also meant Vettel emulated his hero and became the first German since Schumacher to win the Formula 1 World Championship.
Maiden Formula 1 win for Toro Rosso
Not only was Vettel’s win at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix his first F1 victory, it was also the first for Toro Rosso.
At the time, the Italian outfit had had an undistinguished time in F1, including in its previous inception as Minardi.
Vettel would change all of this, however. After finishing a surprise fourth at the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix, he would go on to shock the sport at Monza a year later, claiming the Constructor’s first ever premier class win.
Not only this, it was also the first time a Toro Rosso (or Minardi) had ever finished on the podium, emphasising the magnitude of Vettel’s drive.
Toro Rosso became the first Red Bull-owned team to win a Formula 1 race
Not only did he claim Toro Rosso’s maiden Formula 1 win at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix, but in doing so, Vettel ensured that the Italian manufacturer won a race before its bigger sister, Red Bull Racing.
Since entering the sport under its own name and with its own team in 2005, the best result Red Bull had achieved up to that point was three third-placed finishes with drivers Mark Webber and David Coulthard.
Failing to win a Grand Prix before its junior team was therefore an embarrassment for Red Bull, although it reinforces just how good Vettel’s drive at Monza was.
Indeed, the German’s performances for Toro Rosso would see him earn promotion to the sister team in 2009, before four years of dominance between 2010 and 2013 cemented Vettel as one of Red Bull’s greatest ever drivers.