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 fuck 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

 

[Foaad]

Below is a blown up screenshot shown on F1 show where it is clear that NK was looking in his mirrors rather than straight ahead, explaining his stupid contact with Vettel.

 

[Quintessentially]

What those shots don't tell is that NK had gone off track moments before he was passed by Vettel and he was clearly struggling for control. Given the circumstances, Vettel was best placed to avoid contact but went too close and paid the price. There was plenty of space at that part of the circuit and you could've stuck a bus in there. I was surprised this sort of thing didn't happen in Australia as Vettel was pushing the limits and Rosberg in particular was way too generous when he got passed. Like Hamilton, he is going to learn some harsh lessons if he fails to qualify front row and has to continually find his way through that treacherous midfield, although in this case he was simply lapping a back marker. There is a glaring lack of respect towards the guys at the back almost to the point of bullying and the penalty for NK was just the tip of the iceberg.

 

[Fenderman]

it would be nice to see a "real-time" replay and not a slo-mo or still. I doubt he was looking into his mirror for very long and in fact not being able to see his eyes we don't know for sure it was his mirror he was looking at. Personally I would not want to race against anyone who doesn't check their mirror.

 

[siffert_fan]

In all honesty, given the size of the F1 mirror, for the sake of aero, I don't know how much use they are, evn if you use them.

 

[Viscount]

What those shots don't tell is that NK had gone off track moments before he was passed by Vettel and he was clearly struggling for control. Given the circumstances, Vettel was best placed to avoid contact but went too close and paid the price. There was plenty of space at that part of the circuit and you could've stuck a bus in there. I was surprised this sort of thing didn't happen in Australia as Vettel was pushing the limits and Rosberg in particular was way too generous when he got passed. Like Hamilton, he is going to learn some harsh lessons if he fails to qualify front row and has to continually find his way through that treacherous midfield, although in this case he was simply lapping a back marker. There is a glaring lack of respect towards the guys at the back almost to the point of bullying and the penalty for NK was just the tip of the iceberg.

Vettel was in front and he left room, so it was up to Karthikeyan to avoid contact. If he was struggling for control why not just lift off the throttle a bit until Vettel was completely past him?

In Karthikeyan's own words, " There was a lot of wheelspin so I had to jink to come out of it and he was there unfortunately."

To me that sounds like Karthikeyan turned into Vettel. It's fair to say it was just a racing incident but I don't see how Vettel can be blamed. In my opinion, blaming Vettel here would be similar to blaming Webber for the Turkey 2010 incident when Vettel turned into him, but at least they were racing each other in Turkey whereas Vettel and Karthikeyan were not.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

If Vettel doesn't take some blame himself then he'll find himself in the same position again, and that would be pretty stupid. He could and should have left more room. If he had then he would have a lot more points than he has now and may even have got himself a podium. Giving NK such little quarter is something he should be regretting.

 

[Viscount]

I'll admit he could've left him more room and stayed clear whilst the HRT struggled for grip. He was probably just trying to lose as little time as possible as he closed in on Hamilton.

I doubt he'll be apologising for his comments let alone accept any blame!

 

[ExtremeNinja]

I'll admit he could've left him more room and stayed clear whilst the HRT struggled for grip. He was probably just trying to lose as little time as possible as he closed in on Hamilton.

I doubt he'll be apologising for his comments let alone accept any blame!

Probably to his own detriment. Less speed more haste, as they say. It's also not a good idea to make enemies with those that you are not racing against as they can quickly become allies of those with whom you are.

 

[Jos the Boss]

Sebastian Vettel you are the world champion!

 

[Slyboogy]

That clip is really well made and the song goes reallly well with the video, still love the song, video's not too bad either

 

[Foaad]

For those who have not seen the F1 show and steward's explanation, the video is up on youtube and should answer their question as to who was at fault.

 

[Clinton]

It's interesting to note that Vettel's career was very similar to Schumacher's until this season. Early solitary win in an uncompetitive car, more success the next season, followed by a championship win that but for bad luck and foolish mistakes should have been by a much wider points margin, and a second WDC the next year that was far more comfortable.

However in 1996 Schumi went to struggling Ferrari, whereas Seb has stayed with Red Bull. Perhaps if Vettel had gone to Williams, for example, he wouldn't now be feeling frustration born of possible ennui after having achieved extreme success at such a young age. That is to say, he would be taking on a great and noble challenge rather than trying to do just the same thing yet again, but this time with less success and fewer plaudits.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

For those who have not seen the F1 show and steward's explanation, the video is up on youtube and should answer their question as to who was at fault.

The video is gone but I can guess what you shared. Remember that the opinions of pundits are just opinions, as are ours. Another's opinion does not prove one's own to be fact.

 

[Josh]

It was Johnny Herbert who explained the reasoning behind the penalty, I believe he was the drivers' steward that weekend.

 

[Il_leone]

It's interesting to note that Vettel's career was very similar to Schumacher's until this season. Early solitary win in an uncompetitive car, more success the next season, followed by a championship win that but for bad luck and foolish mistakes should have been by a much wider points margin, and a second WDC the next year that was far more comfortable.

However in 1996 Schumi went to struggling Ferrari, whereas Seb has stayed with Red Bull. Perhaps if Vettel had gone to Williams, for example, he wouldn't now be feeling frustration born of possible ennui after having achieved extreme success at such a young age. That is to say, he would be taking on a great and noble challenge rather than trying to do just the same thing yet again, this time with less success and fewer plaudits.

Its kids they asked to grow up too quickly before they earned their apprenticeship..funny it was happening to Hamilton . Now Vettel has to deal with adversity. Whilst not like in the abyss like Hamilton was . This is a test of Vettel's character especially as Webber is now closer to him and more competitive again

 

[Brogan]

For the second race running, Vettel opts not to set a time in Q3.
He went out but was obviously so far off the pace he aborted the lap and came back in to the pits.

It's all looking a bit different from last season, isn't it?

 

[FB]

The blown diffuser ban has affected him more than any other driver.

 

[MCLS]

While Mark Webber will start the race from pole position, funny how things can change

 

[Jen]

Good, isn't it?

 

[FB]

Apparently Vettel "took a wrong turn" on the set up in FP3. From the RBR website:

“It was a bit mixed up for me. It was looking very good this morning, but then I think we took a step in the wrong direction and ended up with a difficult car for qualifying. It’s a bit of a disappointment, as Mark showed what the car can do around here, so we’ll see what we can do tomorrow. It’s Monaco and everything is possible here. We could be on a different strategy tomorrow as we’re able to start the race on hard tyres, slightly different to the cars ahead, so we’ll see how the first stint goes and go from there. It’s hard to predict, as it’s a long race.”