BERLIN - New world champion Sebastian Vettel thrilled thousands of German fans on Saturday when he took his Red Bull Formula One car on a tyre-smoking demonstration run to Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate. The 23-year-old German, who became the youngest ever champion when he won the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this month, drove some 500 metres down the tree-lined Strasse des 17 Juni boulevard in central Berlin. Freezing temperatures and light snow did not deter several thousand people from attending the spectacle, with Vettel rewarding them by spinning his car in clouds of smoking rubber. "This is so special. You do not get often such an opportunity in life to drive in front of the Brandenburg Gate like that," the driver said, waving to fans, kept away from the makeshift track by barriers and huge sandbags. Vettel had earlier signed autographs, had his picture taken with fans and walked down the street as Germans cheered their first world champion since Michael Schumacher won the last of his seven titles in 2004. "This boulevard is so straight, hopefully there is space to turn at the end. There is a reverse gear in the car but I should not really use it," a smiling Vettel, wearing a wool hat and thick jacket, told reporters. The event, quickly put together by his Red Bull team, took place just hours before Vettel was due to race with Schumacher in the exhibition Race of Champions in Duesseldorf later on Saturday. "I have not slept a lot in the past two weeks," said Vettel, who has also celebrated his maiden title at Red Bull's Austrian headquarters in Salzburg, the team's factory in England and his hometown of Heppenheim. "I will enjoy this as long as it lasts," he said.
