Sebastian Vettel Discusses Defending Race Of Champions Title

The Race of Champions is heading to the United States for the first time in its history, and Formula One ace Sebastian Vettel has spoken out about defending his ROC title.

When the Race of Champions comes to Miami in January, Sebastian Vettel will be on hand as the defending winner.

The Scuderia Ferrari driver captured the title at last year’s event in London and Vettel,during a conversation with Motorsport, spoke on winning the event last year, and how excited he is to defend his crown.

“I’m very happy to have finally won the individual Race Of Champions title last year in London’s Olympic Stadium and I look forward to defending my title at ROC in Miami,” he said.

“All the drivers are strong, and the top US drivers from NASCAR and IndyCar will certainly be extra motivated to win in front of their home fans now that the event is being held in their country for the first time.

“This will also be the first time ROC has been held in a baseball stadium so I’m curious to discover the new track layout. But as always it’s the same track and identical cars for everyone so only driver skill makes the difference.

2012 Verizon IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, a Florida native, and veteran NASCAR driver Kurt Busch are slated to be part of the 2017 field.

Watch highlights from Vettel’s winning year at the Race of Champions:

The two-day event is divided between solo and group competition. The first half is the Race of Champions itself, with drivers competing for individual glory like Vettel won last year. On Sunday, drivers pair up in teams for the ROC Nations Cup, bidding by nationality for the title of “World’s Fastest Nation.”

Organizers have also spoken about the decision to bring the event stateside.

“We are thrilled to be bringing the Race Of Champions to the United States at last,” said ROC President Fredrik Johnsson. “Miami’s Marlins Park is a wonderful venue and it’s our first time inside a baseball stadium. Rest assured we will put together a truly memorable event for fans of fast cars and even faster drivers.

“American race fans are passionate about their sport and I’m sure they will enjoy the great competition and shows we put on.”

Previous venues included England’s Wembley Stadium, the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing and the Stade de France in Paris. There has never been a ROC champion from the U.S., but that would certainly be a way to commemorate America’s first time as a host nation.

They’ll just have to get through Vettel first.

Button to fly flag for England in RoC

Jenson Button will carry home hopes at the 2015 London Race of Champions, it is announced.



Jenson Button has become the latest F1 driver to sign up for the annual Race of Champions later this month, flying the flag for Team England on home soil in London. 

The 2009 world champion has competed at the end-of-season RoC on four previous occasions, though hasn't done so since 2011. However, to celebrate the event's return to British soil at London's former Olympic stadium venue in Stratford, Button will be one of four English drivers flying the flag for home fans. 

Looking to go further than his semi-final placing of 2009, Button will be teamed with sportscar racer Alex Buncombe in one of two English line-ups being entered for the Nations' Cup, with Jason Plato and another unnamed driver pairing up for the other. 

Button is the latest F1 driver to commit to the RoC this year, joining Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Felipe Massa and Nico Hulkenberg in representing the championship alongside representatives from rallying, IndyCar and MotoGP. 

This year's Race of Champions will take place between the final two rounds of the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.

McLaren F1 driver Jenson Button joins 2015 Race of Champions field

McLaren driver Jenson Button has become the latest big Formula 1 name to join the line-up for this month's Race of Champions event in London.

The 2009 F1 world champion will be competing in his fifth RoC, but his first since '11.

His best performance came in 2009 when he reached the semi-final of the individual event, as well as the Nations Cup for Great Britain in tandem with Andy Priaulx.

On this occasion Button will partner 2015 Blancpain Endurance Series champion Alex Buncombe in one of the two English teams, with the other comprising two-time British Touring Car champion Jason Plato and a yet-to-be-named team-mate.

Button said: "I can't wait to be back at the Race Of Champions again - and especially to be racing at home at London's former Olympic Stadium.

"It is always a very special event with a good atmosphere. You're racing against guys from your own series, plus others from all over the world.

"We get to meet friends old and new from the different forms of motorsport so we enjoy our time both on and off the track.

"It's always a lot of fun, but everyone wants to put on a good show for the fans - and of course we only pretend to be taking it easy before giving it everything when we're sitting in the car on the line.

"I look forward to partnering Alex Buncombe in the RoC Nations Cup too.

"Germany had an annoying habit of beating us at Wembley in 2007 and 2008, so it's about time we made it all the way now we'll be racing on the other side of London."

The 35-year-old is now the sixth F1 driver to sign up to this year's RoC at the Olympic Stadium on November 20-21, joining Roman Grosjean, Felipe Massa, Nico Hulkenberg, Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel.

2015 RACE OF CHAMPIONS LINE-UP SO FAR

Alex Buncombe
Jenson Button
David Coulthard
Mick Doohan
Romain Grosjean
Nico Hulkenberg
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Tom Kristensen
Jorge Lorenzo
Felipe Massa
Nelson Piquet Jr
Jason Plato
Daniel Ricciardo
Petter Solberg
Sebastian Vettel
Susie Wolff.