Current Sebastian Vettel

Lots of threads have alluded to having a discussion about the current world champion so lets get it all off our collective chests (oooeer!)

Lots has been has been written about this young man from his testing debut with BMW Sauber in 2006 aged just 19 - he then progressed to the the toro rosso team for his first full race season in 2008 - the memorable race being his drive in the wet at Fuji where he managed to rear end his future team mate Mark Webber who said ""It's kids isn't it... kids with not enough experience – they do a good job and then they **** it all up." - Little was Mark to know he would be paired with the "Kid" just 2 years later.

His maiden win came at the 2008 Italian GP where he qualified up from, the race started under the safety car in the rain and the young German led from start to finish in the Toro Rosso - becoming the youngest winner of a grand prix ever.

Then we enter the era of the Red Bull. In 2009 he joined the Red Bull team, which got off to a torrid start as he managed to crash into Kubika in Australia, a feat he would go on to repeat during the 09 season.

Last year needs no mention........

So to the crux of the matter. Is Sebastian Vettel?

the real deal, the baby schumi, the new pretender - a genuine racer? - aka Wunderkind

or

A very quick driver, who lucked into a very fast car and can bang it on pole and lead from lights to flag and be the quickest pilot of a car, yet can't overtake for toffee? aka WunOrAother

 

[erinha]

I don't blame Ferrari. They could probably do another stop and still fight for the podium, but I don't think anyone expected 40-lap tyres to blow before 30 laps.

This is the end of his consecutive points finish streak: 21 races. 4th longest streak.

 

[erinha]

He had another accident in Spa at Raidillon: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAf5ap0M_gQ

 

[erinha]

I heard he had another daughter since Spa and before this weekend at Monza. Though I'm not sure. James Allison didn't ask him anything about it in press conference despite talking to Rosberg about his newborn daughter. And I guess the only person who talked about him having another baby on the way was Bernie Ecclestone!

 

[erinha]

I heard it might be even twins! Who knows really....

 

[erinha]

Last guy to get a nonMerc pole IIRC?

First guy to get a nonMerc pole too.

 

[RasputinLives]

I take it mean Merc engine powered pole. Lets remember Massa stuck it on pole in a Williams last year.

 

[erinha]

Vettel ends the pole streak of the dominant team Mercedes which was about to achieve the same number of poles as Williams did in 92-93. The guy who ended that particular streak was Ayrton Senna. Vettel also prevented another driver from achieving the longest consecutive pole record of Senna. And by winning the same race Vettel also surpassed Senna's total number of victories.

 

[Speshal]

FB

An explaination for the win finger

Vettel's former boss explains his 'finger celebration'

 

[Dash Racing]

Ouch. He can keep doing that win finger all he likes. Tough chap.

 

[erinha]

FB

An explaination for the win finger

Vettel's former boss explains his 'finger celebration'

Except for this:

2004 Formula BMW

I also thought that incident might have been the origin story of "Il Dito", but now I'm not sure...
Very interesting that it's the same finger though. I've been waiting a long time for some journalist to ask whether these things are related or not. How is it possible no one's asked yet? Is it that I've never come across, or that Vettel doesn't want to talk about this, or the level of investigative journalism in today's F1 world....?

 

[F1Brits_90]

pot calling kettle black alert, Vettel said in a Q&A on his website "The dominance of Mercedes in the past two years took away a lot of excitement for the fans,"
Sebastian Vettel claims Mercedes have made F1 less exciting

 

[teabagyokel]

The latter half of 2013 wasn't much fun, iirc.

 

[LifeW12]

The 2013 F1 season was one of the worst in living memory, along with 2002

 

[Bill Boddy]

Pot, kettle, black.

 

[RasputinLives]

Red Bull was never anywhere near as far in front as the Mercs have been for last two years though.

 

[teabagyokel]

No, but at least there's two of them.

Any dullness is the fault of the teams who fail to challenge Mercedes as it was Webber's fault previously.

 

[siffert_fan]

IMO, the fact that there are two Mercedes makes no difference, given the clear talent advantage of one driver over the other.

As to the dullness being the fault of the other teams, I would say it is more the result of the rules which restrict development and testing, thereby making it far more difficult to overcome an initial advantage than ever before.

The only time I can recall when the battle between teammates was enough to hold the interest thru an entire season was when Prost and Senna were on the same team. The current situation comes nowhere near achieving that level of suspense.

 

[teabagyokel]

Sorry, no. They had exactly the same starting point. Mercedes just did better, and continue to do so.

By the way, that McLaren advantage lasted two years.

 

[Il_leone]

Its clever engineers beating not so clever engineers

Mercedes interpreted the rules better than the rest and made the right decision to invest in the technology.. all the other teams did not do as good a job

---------------------------

At least Mercedes don't have a team principal issuing out team orders

 

[siffert_fan]

. Mercedes just did better, and continue to do so..

Its clever engineers beating not so clever engineers

And those two statements merely back up what Vettel said; the drivers are a very small part of the equation today.