Champagne, beer and perhaps a notorious energy drink over breakfast on a misty October Sunday in the western German state of Hesse. But it was not a wedding warm-up or a village fete, several hundred people gathered in the town center to watch Sebastian Vettel claim his second world title on Sunday. The event was organized by the local Vettel fanclub, the "Erster (first) Sebastian Vettel Fanclub," as they call themselves.

Vettel is currently Heppenheim's most famous son and many of the town's 25,000 inhabitants say its name should be changed to "Vettelheim," however, he's not quite as big an exception as you might think.

"But I was the first - in that sense, the youngest - world champion," one of the fanclub's founding members, Herbert Manck, proudly told Deutsche Welle after the race. "I was world champion in the pentathlon in 1963 in El Paso. I know the feelings he's going through, even if it's impossible to put them into words. I've been completely overwhelmed by Sebastian, he reminds me of the olden days."

Manck evidently enjoys reminders of his past - he commissioned a mural to be drawn on his house in Heppenheim celebrating him and other sporting heroes of the era.

"At the moment, Vettel is so strong that I think he will surpass even Michael Schumacher's success," Manck said, referring to Germany's seven-time F1 champion, the most successful driver in the sport. "He is still very young and dynamic, he has his whole life ahead of him - and I believe he will go from strength to strength."

Great expectations

Despite the difficulty involved in winning a single title, let alone five more, most of the people in Heppenheim think the same - that Vettel will go on to be more successful even than Michael Schumacher, one of his childhood heroes. One fan suggested that Vettel could win 10 titles, and when challenged, she upped her bet to 12, and then 15. Another fan, when asked if Vettel could match Schumacher's record, simply asked who Schumacher was, positing that he might be a man who made shoes.

Even the most pessimistic of fans believed that the short-term future was at least bright for Vettel at Red Bull.

"I think he will win at least one more, one more world championship - and I think it will be the next one," traveling supporter Thomas said. "I have never been to Heppenheim before, I only came here to see how Sebastian Vettel became world champion again. Although I did hear that there were more people here last year."

Considering the early race start in Japan and the inevitability of Vettel's title triumph, as opposed to the close fight last season, this is probably understandable. The relatively muted nature of the much-hyped "Autocorso" - a German tradition of cruising through a town in a convoy honking your car horns, especially to celebrate sporting success - also supported the low-turnout theory.

As well as breakfast and booze, fans could also fritter funds away on a brief trip in a local racer's car, a small improvised go-kart track, and of course heaps of Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull merchandise. So probable was Vettel's title win this year, that the 2011 World Champion t-shirts and banners were already on hand, just in case. In most cases that would be tempting fate, but not this time; for months the question has been "when" not "if."

Vettelheim

Almost everything the Erster Sebastian Vettel Fanclub owns, from their signature sweaters to the t-shirts they sell - even their party bus, is clearly adorned with the word "Vettelheim."

The 24-year-old double world champion is already an honorary citizen of Heppenheim (he's a real citizen too!) and though it will probably never be renamed after him, his importance to the town is sure to endure.

For one jovial Heppenheim resident - the one who asked if Schumacher was a famous cobbler - there's rather a lot of pressure on Vettel to continue to deliver record-breaking results.

"I have always traveled around the world, and right now this is the spot, right here. But if Vettel stops winning, then I'm gone!"

Vettel, however, is already gone; he moved to Switzerland in 2006 but some of his family remain in Heppenheim. Roughly 100,000 people turned out last year when he came back to the town for a day. The fan club's founder, Axel Moeller, says they're hoping he will return later this year, possibly before the end of the F1 season on November 27.

Author: Mark Hallam, Heppenheim
Editor: Michael Lawton