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

 

[cider_and_toast]

Obviously, not being shielded by the protection of a Scarlet set of Scuderia overalls (Schumacher) means that Vettel is receiving an unprecedented level of ire from the paying public at every race across the globe.

Yes, he blotted his copy book with the neutrals after his "multi 21" defying antics but individual incidents aside (Schumacher in Austria and that US GP for example) I've never heard a driver get such sustained barracking from the race going public. Those things are normally left on less reputable websites which tend to go into melt down.

The continuing problem is the failure of anyone to step up and challenge the Red Bulls. It's not only the drivers but the teams, designers and uncle Tom Cobly and all who have failed to produce a package that can get near enough to Vettel to make a fight of it.

I expect Vettel doesn't mind one bit about the attention he receives on the podium, especially as he's waving the champagne and the trophy around but as for the image of F1 it mustn't look good to all those happy clappers in the Paddock club.

Is there any reason not to expect more of the same next year ??

 

[no-FIAt-please]

As good as Vettel is and as much as he has achieved we still need to him in the position Alonso and Hamilton have had in recent years, good cars but ultimately they have to produce a real stand out performance to win (barring the 2012 McLaren). Then we will see how faces adversity.

 

[downforce]

As good as Vettel is and as much as he has achieved we still need to him in the position Alonso and Hamilton have had in recent years, good cars but ultimately they have to produce a real stand out performance to win (barring the 2012 McLaren). Then we will see how faces adversity.

Yes I want to see that and him with a decent teammate

 

[Il_leone]

downforce Like maybe Kimi Raikkonen who apparently Vettel may had a say in and his master Helmut Marko was making negative noises that the team needs hard workers not lazy slouchers

 

[Il_leone]

funny the previous race Horner said the booing makes Seb strong at Monza and after this race he is asking for the booing to stop

Hamilton said the booing should stop too.

I guess Seb is doing everything he could to be Schumacher Mk II

He bought it upon himself for what he did at Malaysia to some people. The Ferrari fans are passionate for their drivers and no doubt it will stop if Seb was driving for them one day

 

[Bill Boddy]

I bet there were more Aussies in Singapore than there were Italians.

 

[RasputinLives]

Il_Leone are you now suggesting that Kimi didn't go to Red Bull because Seb didn't want him there?

 

[Road of Bones]

I really think the current booing has very little to do with "Multi 21", more to do with the collective disappointment that what looked like an entertaining season a few races ago has turned into another Vettel benefit. As Crofty & Brundle said during the first lap, they could imagine the collective groans from the world's sofas as Vettel re-passed Rosberg and hared off into the night. I suspect that it's become a case of "Monkey see, Monkey Boo" on the podium now, as the fad for expressing the crowd's disillusionment with seeing the Finger collect yet more untroubled silverware has been fuelled by all the column inches devoted to the perceived disrespect to the reigning Champion.

I still think that a more effective crowd protest would be to ignore him altogether, and only cheer the 2nd & 3rd place drivers.
I suppose it's not as much fun for the "booers" though...

 

[ecclestoned]

The Ferrari fans are passionate for their drivers and no doubt it will stop if Seb was driving for them one day

Then Luca could stop the booing squad by saying: "Welease Fwed to Wed Bull, I'l swap him with the Gewman!"

 

[Titch]

I'm not a Vettel fan, but no-one can deny he's unbeatable, and I think it's his talent that makes it so. He's smooth and fast, and I think he could do a lot for Ferrari. He should have more faith in himself. Take on the best as team mates or go to a less reliable car and turn it all around.

 

[Bill Boddy]

....go to a less reliable car and turn it all around.

So how is Vettel to do this? Is it true that he did the design of the Red Bull but it was put into Newey's name as a special favour?

 

[siffert_fan]

Next year, the Ferrari will be a Byrne design, the same designer that created ALL of Schuey's WDC-winning cars.So if Vettel continues his winning next year, that will prove either that Alonso isn't as great as people have thought, or that Schuey was even better than most people wanted to admit, as the quality of the Ferrari car cannot be in doubt.

Of course, it could just prove that Vettel is largely responsible for the success of the RB and is just a tremendously talented driver.

 

[Jen]

Or Byrne has lost his touch?

 

[siffert_fan]

Or that people's biases will always win in the end.

 

[Jen]

Perhaps, in their own mind. And we all have them, sadly!

 

[cider_and_toast]

That's the thing about F1, you can never ever tell how much is man and how much is machine.

 

[RasputinLives]

Like in Bladerunner.

 

[Road of Bones]

Perhaps it is about time he was retired then - when was his incept date?

 

[GermanF1]

or in Terminator

 

[Titch]

So how is Vettel to do this? Is it true that he did the design of the Red Bull but it was put into Newey's name as a special favour?

I wouldn't begin to know Bill Body. But I can say that what I see In Red Bull is the car driven by Vettel is streets ahead of the one driven by Webber. I expect a whole bunch of you will now say that's because the team have fixed it that way,.... who knows you may be right. But you can't prove that, any more than you can prove/disprove that Vettel's verbal input to his engineer may be better than Webber's.
Designers..design, engineers ..build and tinker, drivers.. drive and then report what was good and what was bad.