Vettel's new Red Bull RB8 now named Abbey

Mar.14 (GMM) In keeping with his tradition of naming his race cars, Sebastian Vettel has named his new 2012 Red Bull RB8 chassis Abbey.

With the Adrian Newey-penned RB8, the 24 year old German will push to become F1's third-ever triple consecutive world champion, after Juan Manuel Fangio and mentor Michael Schumacher.

Routinely, the highly-superstitious German has given his F1 cars a female name - the 2010 winner was Luscious Liz, and last year's dominant RB7 'Kinky Kylie'.

So superstitious is Vettel that - as in 2011 - he has waited until the Wednesday before the season-opening Australian grand prix to decide the new name.

Germany's Bild newspaper said Vettel's 2012 mount is 'Abbey' - perhaps after his favourite band The Beatles' album Abbey Road, or the Silverstone corner?

"Neither is true," he insisted, "it's just a cool name."