The homeland of Michael Schumacher is celebrating its second Formula One world champion - as the mass-circulation daily Bild put it, "Germany completely Vettel!"
German newspapers were plastered with pictures of the triumphant but tearful Sebastian Vettel after his last-minute championship win in Abu Dhabi. The headline in the daily Die Welt read: "simply incredible."
Bild celebrated "the Vettel miracle."
"Vettel was compared with the giant Schumi from his first day in Formula One," commentator Matthias Bruegelmann wrote. "That would have made many fall apart early on."
Chancellor Angela Merkel said the 23-year-old showed "the class of a true champion" in making up a 15-point deficit to snatch the title in the season's final race.
The mayor of Vettel's hometown in southwestern Germany, Heppenheim, said its inhabitants were all proud of "this great success, which will go down in history."
"We will come up with a way to celebrate this event fittingly in Heppenheim," mayor Gerhard Herbert said.
Seven-time champion Schumacher, who has endured a disappointing comeback season, also offered his congratulations.
"He did it really well — after a season that was so mixed, he came on so strongly in the last races," Schumacher said on his website.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments