Sebastian Vettel breaks 3 hours in London Marathon

Sebastian Vettel completed his first marathon in 2:59:08 at the 2026 London Marathon, beating his sub-three-hour target while helping raise nearly £9,000 with Formula 1 journalist Tom Clarkson for the Grand Prix Trust and the Brain & Spine Foundation.

The four-time F1 world champion ran the 26.2-mile race in warm conditions and judged it almost perfectly, going through halfway in 1:29:18 before covering the second half in 1:29:50 to secure an official finishing time of 02:59:08. Clarkson also finished inside four hours, recording 03:58:51.

Vettel said after the finish in an interview with BBC Sport that the race "felt very long" on his first attempt, but said the experience matched the scale of the occasion. He said it was "amazing how many people there were next to the course, and how happy everyone is," calling it "a really great experience."

He said he had wanted to run a marathon for some time and arrived with a clear target. "I always wanted to do a marathon," Vettel told BBC Sport. "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."

That goal was to dip under three hours, which gave the run a competitive edge familiar from his F1 career. Vettel said he was "very happy" to get below that mark, but added that finishing the race mattered just as much, and that after living the experience he would recommend others "sign up and try to do it."

The fundraising effort carried particular significance for the sport. The Grand Prix Trust was founded by Jackie Stewart and supports F1 trackside and factory-based personnel, while the Brain & Spine Foundation was founded by former F1 medical chief Professor Sid Watkins and helps people affected by neurological conditions.

Vettel and Clarkson had initially aimed to raise £5,000 for the two charities. By the time of reporting, that total had climbed to £8,873, turning Vettel's first marathon into a notable post-racing achievement with a direct link back to the Formula 1 community.