Vettel appears in Melanie Fiona music video

2012 F1 season

Posted on

| Written by

Sebastian Vettel makes an appearance in the video for American R&B performer Melanie Fiona’s new song “Watch me Work”.

The two-times world champion appears alongside Fiona at the wheel of an Infiniti G37. The road car manufacturer is a sponsor of Red Bull and Vettel put his name to a special edition of the car earlier this year.

Here’s Vettel in the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vh0yUHGfEA

The video was filmed in New Jersey while Vettel made a recent visit to the location of the 2013 Grand Prix of America.

“It was a great experience to shoot a music video, and certainly very different to what I’m used to,” said Vettel. “But music is without question an inspiration to many and I’m very proud to have been part of this. I think the lyrics are quite fitting to what we can all do if we put our mind to it.”

Fiona said: “It’s not often you get the chance to be driven by an F1 world champion and when the opportunity came up to have Seb driving me in the video I was like, yes please!

“This is one of my favourite songs and one that I’ve been wanting to put out for a while so to have him involved was great.”

More on the making of the video in this “behind the scenes” feature including interviews with Vettel and Fiona:

2012 F1 season


Browse all 2012 F1 season articles

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

50 comments on “Vettel appears in Melanie Fiona music video”

  1. Think of the fatalities that would have occurred if they’d invited Maldonado to help out…

    They got off lucky they chose a world champion.

    1. Boy-O-Boy! Your sarcasm got me laughing …….

      BTW, when will this Maldonado-Bashing stop? ….

      1. It will stop when he stops being so bloody awful during races and crashing at demo runs!

      2. When Maldonado stops bashing other cars

  2. Well, that was the most bizarre and out-of-context appearance by a Formula 1 driver that I have seen since Jenson Button’s infamous elevator cameo.

    1. or his Head and Shoulders adverts…

      1. Head and Shoulders sponsor Button. Vettel, too. So I can make an exception for those ads – they’re just doing sponsor work. Sure, Vettel is doing sponsor work here, too (Infiniti clearly paid to have one of their cars in the video), but he just shows up. There’s no explanation as to who he is or why he is in the video at all. John Q. Citizen wouldn’t know he was a Formula 1 driver unless they were told.

        I also find it hilarious that the making-of video describes Vettel as being a character in the video and doing something that only he can do when 95% of what he does is not his head.

    2. I think it was pretty well done actually @prisoner-monkeys – he wasn’t obnoxiously present, it wasn’t about him, he just played a role in someone else’s life, apparently enjoying seeing her do her work and driving (her) around.

      Not sure this was the best way to promote the brand of the car, but I thought the car looked nice; better than shouting it out that she’s being sponsored/driven by an F1 star in an Infiniti car that is his sponsor. If you want to be seen as a cool brand, that is.

    3. Perhaps it proves how much Vettel wanted to be in.

  3. Nice try…. But stick to racing Seb…

  4. Here’s the slightly less cringeworthy behind-the-scenes video:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKtEnaudCg4

  5. downloading the video already.i have d album (The MF Life) tho.nice album

  6. It’s like, his head wouldn’t stop nodding.

    1. Noticed that too @kibitzer, I think he liked it. And if you don’t know who he is, he’s just a guy who enjoys driving her around in the video, staying in the background, which to me is the way it should be – it is here song/video, and not about F1, while if you know him, it makes this a nice cameo to come with the Infiniti car in the clip.

      1. Yeah, could have been worse. He could have tried a dance step or two.

  7. “He’s a double World Champion. She’s a two-time Grammy-nominated artist. Together, the fight crime!

    1. *They. They fight crime.

    2. Nice, that would be cringe-worthily cheesy indeed, if they used that as a poster @prisoner-monkeys :)

  8. Meh, it’s a car ad with an F1 driver in it

  9. He’s no Elio de Angelis, is he?

  10. That is the lamest product placement video i’ve ever seen.

  11. Song itself is not bad

  12. Oh dear. That really is a shameless plug for Infiniti :D

    Looks like Seb beat Lewis to a second world championship and now the music industry. Seb will be after Nicole next.

    1. @andrewtanner that’s pretty funny. What isnt so funny is that many people that are joking about Sebs involvement in a music industry related pursuit, heavily criticise LH for his attempts at whatever it is he thinks he is doing in that realm. The detractors have a field day at his expense, while leveling only light hearted jabs at Seb for something very similar. Reminds me of a lot of the vitriol aimed at My President here in the states. What is acceptable from others is somehow not acceptable from these two. Anyone, that gives this point serious thought, I think will agree. Just sayin

      1. @Malibu_GP Vettel is not pursuing actual involvement in the music industry. He’s doing required PR work for one of RBR’s sponsors. Not that I necessarily think Hamilton ought to be criticized, but the two situations are not comparable.

  13. well that explains why Vettel has made some mistakes this year and been at odds with the media

    clearly he has been partying to hard with susperstars and concentrating too much on his music career

    1. davidnotcoulthard
      31st August 2012, 15:50

      What about Maldonado’s? Or the McLaren gunmans’?

  14. I´ve always wanted to see F1 drivers as dancers in the video for Lady Gaga´s Alejandro. I´m not asking for much, am I?

    1. Lol.. Alonso would belong in that video for sure

      1. davidnotcoulthard
        31st August 2012, 15:49

        What about a Rush (A Canadian band) song’s video? Jacques Villeneuve? No, thanks!

  15. A bit of a cringe worthy appearance by Seb there. He seems out of place, unfortunately I think hes got that geeky, nerdy look. Cool he aint!
    But hey, bet he had fun, so its alright!

  16. I’m at risk of sounding like my dad here (I’m only 23…), but, who?

    1. I managed to listen to 1 minute 6 seconds of this tripe. Can anyone beat that score?

    2. I’m at risk of sounding like my dad here (I’m only 23…), but, who?

      Exactly what I thought, and I’m 18! The song sucks and including advertising in music videos is wrong.

      1. davidnotcoulthard
        31st August 2012, 15:55

        “Advertising in music videos is wrong.”

        Especially if it’s Jacques Villeneuve working for BAT in a Rush (from Canada, just like Jacques and Gilles) video.

  17. i get a kick out of seeing rbr guys drive the hell out of those infinitis – i have one and the car prevents anything of the sort! even with the computer “off” at the first sign of something interesting, the computer slams the throttle shut leaving you paralyzed in the middle of an intersection. also, i haven’t locked a wheel in 6 years of ownership. i wonder if these systems are still modified individually, or if they can now be done in a software update.

    1. I once rented a G37 (’11 sedan) and had no problem kicking the rear end loose in an empty parking lot. Even if the VDC isn’t totally defeatable, it still gives you enough leeway to have fun before it reins things back in.

  18. Just out of curiosity @keithcollantine, what makes this news in your eyes more newsworthy than say Hamilton’s problems with Scherzinger, which I remember you (fortunately) omitting from the round-ups?

    1. Well, It’s not private, is it ? There’s some driving involved, it’s a PR thing…
      Nothing from the private sphere in there…

    2. I like the question! I think it’s interesting what Red Bull are doing to raise the profile of their driver, themselves and the sport in the USA (there’ll be another example of that in tomorrow’s round-up).

      Whereas most of the stuff about Hamilton and Scherzinger seemed to be tabloid gossip of dubious veracity and little relevance to the sport.

      Then there’s the more prosaic question of material. In this case I had the opportunity to use the video in question. Whereas when Hamilton did a photoshoot for GQ a while back, there was nothing available for me to illustrate the story – at least not without paying a significant sum to GQ! (I mentioned it in the forum with a link, and in the round-up and the usual social media sites as well, if I remember correctly).

  19. Vettel getting in with pop stars – Hamilton has had experience with that. It’s weird how some drivers have their ‘private life’ quite well known whereas others don’t so much. Like you always hear of Lewis and Nicole, Jenson and Jessica but rarely about who Vettel’s dating and things. Not that I mind… I can’t stand all this pointless gossip about uninteresting personal things, but it’s weird.

  20. What a terrible song.

  21. He looked like a kid in a candy store.

  22. When i saw “R&B performer”, i didn’t hear “Are’n Bee” in my head, bur “Red Bull”…
    Is it serious Doc ???

    1. “but”, nor “bur”…

    2. @gwenouille
      Haha I know that feeling! For instance, everytime I see a “Colors of Benneton” store around I always get slightly disappointed that they are in fact selling clothes and not old F1 cars and Michael Schumachers.

  23. You can tell he’s struggling not to laugh in the film, and it’s really quite funny to watch

  24. Worst cameo appearance by an F1 driver ever, or THE WORST cameo appearance by an F1 driver ever?

    Why would Seb be racing a crappy Infiniti around inside an abondoned warehouse? What are all those people really up to in the warehouse? Why is Seb in America participating in activity of unknown legality?
    WHY WON’T HE STOP NODDING?!

    So many questions raised.

    1. davidnotcoulthard
      31st August 2012, 15:58

      It all began with Colin…and of course Bernie.

Comments are closed.