2. Sebastian Vettel (male, F1)

Yearender: World's top 10 athletes in 2012

The 25-year-old Red Bull's driver from Germany became the youngest triple champion of Formula One in a dramatic season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix, where his sixth ranking was enough to lift him alongside legendary drivers Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher as the sport's only three-time champion. [Photo/Agencies]