Germany has been a perennial favourite at the Race of Champions for much of the race’s history. Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher look to keep that run going when they join forces again for the 2025 edition.
The Germans are the most successful country at the Nations Cup with eight titles (for comparison, the only other multi-time winners have just two), including a six-year win streak from 2007 to 2012 courtesy of Vettel and Schumacher’s father Michael. Vettel then added the eighth victory alongside Pascal Wehrlein in 2017, two years after winning the individual tournament in 2015.
Schumacher first appeared at ROC in 2019 as Vettel’s team-mate and has worked alongside his mentor since. Their first Nations Cup together ended with them losing in the final to Team Nordic. After ROC returned in 2022 on the snowy banks of Sweden after a three-year hiatus, Vettel and Schumacher finished runner-up in the main ROC in back to back years despite neither having off-road experience.
At the 2022 Nations Cup, the two fell to Team USA. A year later, they were eliminated by Felipe Drugovich and Thierry Neuville of the All Stars, an unexpectedly early exit.
After losing his Formula One seat, Schumacher currently races in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Alpine. He also works as a reserve driver for Mercedes.
“Australia is one of my favourite places and representing Germany together with Sebastian at ROC Sydney will for sure be big fun,” said Schumacher. “After finishing second in the individual ROC in Sweden in 2023 and in the ROC Nations Cup in ROC Mexico with Seb, the goal this time has to be the overall winners trophy both in the ROC Nations Cup on Friday night and in the individual Race Of Champions on Saturday.
“I very much look forward to meeting all the other drivers and spending time with them during the Race of Champions weekend in Sydney. I am sure the drivers will have a crazy good time together and put on a super show for the Australian fans.”
Although Vettel retired from F1 in 2022 to conclude an illustrious sixteen-year career, he has remained somewhat involved in racing as the head of Germany’s SailGP team and supporting green energy motorsport. In March, he test drove Porsche’s 963 Hypercar but shut down speculation on if he would run that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
As such, the only auto racing Vettel has done since retirement is in ROC (he competes in cycling from time to time). Travis Pastrana, who has competed against Vettel at ROC, extended an invite to race in what is now Nitrocross that he ultimately did not take up.
“I’m delighted to be coming back to the Race of Champions and teaming up with Mick again,” Vettel commented. “It will be exciting to race in the former Olympic Stadium in Sydney that looks like it will be a great venue for the Race of Champions. Sydney is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and I think Fredrik (Johnsson) and his team have selected an incredible venue for the next chapter of ROC.
“I am also supportive of ROC’s efforts taking steps towards becoming a sustainable motorsport event, which started at ROC Sweden.
“All the drivers who have the honour to participate in ROC fall in love with the event, because it reminds us about why we first started racing; pure competition and of course with the identical cars there are no excuses.
“I will do everything I can to help Germany win another ROC Nations Cup title with Mick on the Friday evening, but I will not be doing him any favours when we are going for the outright win on the Saturday night, especially as he beat me in the semi-finals of the individual ROC in Sweden in 2023.
“At ROC, the racing is always intense on the track and everyone wants to win, but it’s also about putting on a great show for the fans.”
The 2025 Race of Champions will be held at Accor Stadium on 7/8 March. The Germans are the second team to confirm their entry after Jamie Whincup locked in his seat for the host.