Vettel revives winning ’smiley’ tradition

Every time Sebastian Vettel wins in 2011, he adds another smile to his collection.

Germany’s Bild newspaper reports that there are seven small ’smiley’ stickers aligned in a row inside the cockpit of the runaway championship leader’s Red Bull.

One was added to ’Luscious Liz’ after each of his seven 2011 victories so far in Australia, Malaysia, Turkey, Barcelona, Monaco, Valencia and Spa two weeks ago.

The 24-year-old confirmed at Monza: "Adding the faces was my idea. It’s an old tradition."

He is referring to 2004, when a large yellow smiley sticker was added to the exterior livery of his formula BMW car after every win.

"By the end of the year the nose was almost completely covered in them," laughed Vettel, who as a seventeen year old won 18 of the 20 races.