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

 

[Blog Zbod]

I did but I can't find it now. Apparently he had the chance to drive for them in 2009 but went back to Renault. He later told Christian Horner he regretted the decision which was primarily financial.

Then I stand corrected.

Nonetheless, by all accounts I have seen, even after capturing three consecutive WDC titles, Sebastian Vettel still only commands a relatively modest €10M salary from his team, well less than Alonso, Hamilton and Button, and the same as Massa, Rosberg and Webber. So why isn't Vettel, by almost every metric the most successful driver on the grid, also the highest paid? Surely he must now have the leverage to vote himself a raise.

I'm going to hazard to guess that Vettel would rather drive an Adrian Newey car than be paid €30M a year. Alonso, OTOH, chose another path. We live with the consequences of our choices.

 

[Il_leone]

Blog Zbod
If you think back then there was only 2 other world champions on the grid and Alonso was double world champion therefore by right he would expect a higher salary than other drivers being the best driver

Now Vettel is on such modest pay but obviously he will get some perks from his own and Red Bull sponsors

Also being Flavio Briatore know doubt he was kissing Fernando's bum with as double world champion saying he should give him preference in any team which Fernando thought was his right then.

Now Vettel has increased his status he can stay at Red Bull for less pay given it gives him the best car but I should add if there is a bidding war then it might a different matter

Schumacher was the best driver in mid 90's and started a bidding war between the top teams... if the other teams now Mclaren/ Mercedes and Ferrari started offering more money and were equally competitive then things might be different

- I mean Luca spent the last two years saying Vettel will drive for them I guess he may try again next year

 

[The Pits]

I believe that the win bonuses and performance bonuses at Red Bull more than make up for the modest retainer.

 

[Blog Zbod]

Vettel's win bonuses were estimated at €7M last season, with an additional €1M from endorsements.

 

[Slyboogy]

I'm quite sure all of the top drivers have bonuses and endorsements though.

 

[Il_leone]

I think if Ferrari can pay Raikkonen $50m a year right for just being 1 x world champion surely then as a double world champion Alonso at the time you would expect at least $30m which seems moderate at the time

As for Vettel I am sure he has plenty of German or Red Bull sponsorship commitments and endorsements he is paid on the side to make up for it unless they've convinced him the money will be spent for the car unlike a certain world champion named Jacques Villeneuve who did not want to take a pay cut for the car

 

[RasputinLives]

Maybe Vettel has realised that living off a mere 10 million a year is still quite a comfy lifestyle and that he might as well stay at a team thats winning?

Surely after you start earning a couple of Mill a year money become immaterial right? I mean would drivers really be calling family meetings to tell everyone to tighten their belts if their pay was cut from 30 million to 10 million?

 

[Bill Boddy]

Unfortunately when people get a lot of money they then get dragged in to the "must have more" syndrome. Anf, of course, there is the "Why does he get more than me when I am better" effect.

I was on an Effective Speaking course one time, one of the lecturers said that he discovered that another speaker on the after-dinner merry-go-round was being paid as much as he so he upped his fee because he knew that he, the lecturer, was much better.

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives a case of supply and demand if all the top teams were equally as competitive and Vettel was the undisputed best driver then he could name his price as it were like Schumacher did in 1995 at a mere £16m a year

if Ferrari came calling don;t you think Vettel would be interested then ?

Off course Senna offered himself to drive for free to Williams but that is to get his nose under the table because no doubt he would have been paid

 

[RasputinLives]

I'm just suggesting maybe he thinks he can live off 7 million a year. Maybe he's better at doing budgets than Kimi.

Also I'm pretty sure Ferrari have come a calling and he's weighed up money against wins, stats and loyalty and he decided on the latter. He has plenty of time in his career for a payday he ever gets tired of shopping at Lidel on his wage thats not good enough for his peers.

On top of that I think Vettel is genuinally happy where he is.

 

[RasputinLives]

Just to add in a thought. I do understand the concept of wanting to be paid the most because you are the best but their is another factor to put in. They are rarer but their are people who do things for happiness in their role. For instance I work with a whole bunch of people who'd demand a much bigger wage in the private sector but stay where they are because it makes them happier doing what they do.

Maybe...just maybe....Some drivers feel like that too.

Having said that Vettel doesn't have a Robertson trying to make a living off his contracts.

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives No he does not he has all paid to him by Red Bull where as Alonso 's salary is 25% commission to Flabio and Kimi has both Robertsons doing his management work so from $50m a year 5% is $2.5m so they really did screw Ferrari on that part


If Vettel was undisputed best no doubt he would seriously consider it because how many chances do you get to earn that kind of money

Vettel will be happy where he is unless someone upsets him - Webber just did not do enough and seems absolutely beaten to pulp now.

Supposedly Ricciardo will show gratitude to Red Bull and not upset Vettel if he values his position in the team, Horner we know is weak and Newey is not exactly going to walk out when he has the job he wants at Red Bull

 

[racecub]

Some interesting point raised here. Lets take a look at the top drivers. Hamilton, Vettel and Alonso are where they are because of circumstances, decisions they made at moments in time and because of their driving skill. They haven't chosen money over car or car over money, because that hasn't been a choice on the table. They are all driven, and success on the track is the driving factor. It's my view that if you gave all three of them the following choice.....you can have 30 mil a year and a competitive car, or you can have 10 mil a year and a car that is on the level of the Red Bull , it would be no contest which they'd chose. Kimi is a different animal and I think he'd make a different choice.

Of course things are never that simple, never that black and white. Taking Hamilton, I think he really wants to do it in a Mercedes, so he will be hoping the Mercedes gets that level of performance rather than wishing he could move. And Vettel? Is there a little bit of his mind that thinks...can I do this in another car? Might that figure in his future decisions?

 

[Bushi]

Just like i would like to see Seb in non Newey designed car, i would like to see Hamilton in a none powered Merc car.

 

[Jen]

Would he get of the grid?

 

[FB]

Only if he shouts Yabba, dabba, do! and get's Barney Rubble to help him push it along.

 

[Fenderman]

Folk's pay dearly for Clip on errors grammatical or typo here, don't they?

 

[Bushi]

You know FB you can laugh all you want, some people have to drive like that.

 

[Blog Zbod]

Vettel's win at Singapore was the largest margin of victory seen in a dry F1 race since Hungary, 2005, when Raikkonen beat Schuey by 36 seconds (but there were no safety cars in the 2005 race).

It was Seb's 3° 'grand slam,' the other two being India and Japan in 2011.

Vettel now has one career F1 win more than Alonso and an equal number of fastest laps, despite having 96 fewer starts.

It was Seb's 9° instance of leading every lap from pole, tying him for 5° on the all-time list with the 'Stache.

Speaking of Mansell, Vettel now has led 2147 F1 laps, eclipsing Nigel for 4° on the all-time list.

Vettel already has an equal the number of wins and podiums as in all of 2012. Too few races remain to match his 2011 record 17 podiums (co-held with MSC [2002]).


Alonso has finished second to Vettel in three consecutive races, only the 5° time in all F1 history that this has occurred (same drivers finishing 1-2 at three consecutive races).

 

[Blog Zbod]

Sebastian Vettel: Public Enemy Number One