Sebastian Vettel achieves ambitious London Marathon target in charity run

Four-time Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel completed the 2026 London Marathon in under three hours.

The German driver joined F1 journalist Tom Clarkson in running the London Marathon to raise money for the Grand Prix Trust and the Brain & Spine Foundation. 

The Grand Prix Trust, which was founded by Sir Jackie Stewart in the 1980s, works to support those in the F1 community who need help.

The Brain & Spine Foundation was founded by former F1 safety and medical delegate Professor Sidney Watkins and neurosurgeon Peter Hamlyn in 1992. It aims to improve "the prevention, treatment and care of people affected by disorders of the brain and spine."

In addition to raising money for the two charities, Vettel had set himself the goal of completing the 26.2-mile race in under three hours, which he managed to achieve.

"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," the former Red Bull F1 driver told BBC Sport after crossing the finish line. "I'm very excited still, and very happy that I finished."

When asked what had motivated him to enter the race, Vettel added: "Well, I always wanted to do a marathon. I always kept fit and did a lot of running, cycling.

"So I thought it's about time, and I set myself an ambitious 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 I think even more so, happy that I finished.

"And having lived the experience, I can only recommend it to people to sign up and try to do it."

Clarkson and Vettel had aimed to raise £5000 for the two charities, and at the time of writing, the pair had exceeded their goal with a total of £8873.

Vettel retired from F1 at the end of the 2022 season.