Sebastian Vettel smashes “ambitious” London Marathon goal - this is how fast he ran it
Sebastian Vettel completed the 2026 London Marathon on Sunday.
Four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel completed the 2026 London Marathon with a time under three hours.
Taking part in his first marathon, Vettel raised money for the Grand Prix Trust and the Brain & Spine Foundation alongside F1 journalist Tom Clarkson.
The Grand Prix Trust was founded by three-time world champion Jackie Stewart and provides support to F1 trackside and factory-based personnel.
The Brain & Spine Foundation was founded by former F1 medical chief Professor Sid Watkins and helps people affected by neurological conditions.
Vettel impressively completed the gruelling 26.2-mile race in warm conditions with a sub-three hour time, achieving the goal he had set out.
The German’s official finishing time was 02:59:08, while Clarkson completed the London Marathon in under four hours with a time of 03:58:51.
"It felt very long, but it's been my first time, so I didn't know what to expect, but it's been amazing how many people there were next to the course, and how happy everyone is, so it's a really great experience," Vettel told BBC Sport.
"I'm very excited still, and very happy that I finished.”
Asked what had inspired him to take part, the Red Bull driver replied: “I always wanted to do a marathon. I obviously always kept fit and did a lot of running, cycling. So I thought it’s about time, and obviously I set myself an ambitions goal which I managed to achieve.
“I wanted to be just below three hours, which I did, so I’m very happy with that. But even more so happy that I finished and having lived the experience I can only recommend for people to sign up and try to do it.”
Vettel and Clarkson aimed to raise £5,000 for the two charities and smashed their goal, raising a current total of nearly £9,000.
Vettel won 53 grands prix and four world championship titles across 299 starts in F1. He raced for BMW Sauber, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin.
The 38-year-old won four successive drivers’ titles between 2010 and 2013 and retired from F1 at the end of the 2022 season.
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