Newly crowned Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel and seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, paired up for the fourth time to take the Race of Champions Nations Cup for Germany in Dusseldorf on Saturday.
This win is their fourth and makes them the most successful pairing in ROC history. The F1 Times
The annual end-of-season RoC showdown features top drivers from across all motorsport who battle it out in one-on-one contests in a variety of cars around an arena. It has moved to Germany for the first time this year.
Although Schumacher took a straightforward win over Jason Plato in the first race, Andy Priaulx then defeated Vettel to leave the final tied 1-1. In the decider Schumacher triumphed by the narrowest of margins in his battle with Andy Priaulx in Race Of Champions cars. There was a mere 0.06 seconds between Priaulx and Schumacher after the first lap, but Schumacher pulled ahead to seal victory by 0.6s. ESPN F1
The other current F1 driver in the event was Heikki Kovalainen, making his first appearance since winning the 2004 RoC as a virtual unknown - a result that catapulted the then-Dallara-Nissan World Series champion into the spotlight.
But Kovalainen’s RoC comeback was shortlived, as a heavy crash in an Audi GT car in the first heat ended his afternoon.
Both Kovalainen and his girlfriend Catherine Hyde, who was having a passenger ride at the time, were unhurt despite their car crashing through a barrier and then backing violently into the wall.
Four-time F1 world champion Alain Prost was also trying to uphold the single-seater racers’ honour in this year’s RoC, but he was knocked out in the heats, not helped by a spin while racing with former British Formula 3 and Formula Renault 3.5 champion Alvaro Parente. ITV
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