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]

Agree with that RasputinLives. It is down to everyone else to get their act together and force their way to the top and the sooner the better.

 

[MCLS]

In an ideal world we'd all love 5/6/7 etc drivers equally going for the title with it going to the last race, but sometimes this domination happens, it's just how things work, and it's not just limited to F1, it's something across motorsports, in NASCAR, Jimmy Johnson won 5 titles in a row from 2005-2010, in MotoGP between 2002-2009 Valentino Rossi won 6 titles out of 8 with 4 in a row, I'm not a Vettel fan by any stretch of the imagination, but right now you have to take your hat off and acknowledge the job that he and Red Bull are doing at the moment

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives Those Ferrari blunders early season are proving costly

Silverstone proved a turning point despite Vettel retiring , everyone's tyres blew up which meant harder tyres had to be constructed which RB have been begging for to show the speed in their car

Having said neither Ferrari, Lotus, and Mercedes have managed to find extra speed anywhere whilst Mclaren seems clueless at the moment so they have to accept some of the blame for not investing in the right places or not putting enough money into their effort

 

[FB]

I'm quite enjoying this season...

 

[RasputinLives]

What makes me laugh is that races like Spain and Britain where the tyres were a bit dodge and it skewed the running order got everyone riled up and writing to Points of View about how it was just not cricket etc etc. So changed that and made the tyre performances more even and predictable and now everyones like "this is so boring and predictable! ra ra ra back to russia etc etc".

The general public eh? What the hell do we know?

 

[downforce]

Well I guess he's quite fast, but can he eat his own head?

Until he does that on live TV I won't be convinced he's top drawer

 

[Bushi]

What makes me laugh is that races like Spain and Britain where the tyres were a bit dodge and it skewed the running order got everyone riled up and writing to Points of View about how it was just not cricket etc etc. So changed that and made the tyre performances more even and predictable and now everyones like "this is so boring and predictable! ra ra ra back to russia etc etc".

The general public eh? What the hell do we know?

People will always find a way to complain.
When it rains, people want the sun, when it's sunny, people want it to rain.

“I personally believe we developed language because of our deep inner need to complain.”
― Jane Wagner

 

[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.

Excerpted from the 26 September edition of Autosport Magazine:

"Forget the public denials: Alonso’s management did sound out Red Bull about a possible move for 2014. While tempted, the team sensibly realised that trying to pair Alonso with Sebastian Vettel would do more harm than good. But with Vettel the subject of persistent interest from other teams, should the German move then Alonso could become a realistic option."

 

[Raikkonen&Redbull=PartyTime]

Honestly, I think Sebastian exacerbates the hate by:

a) Being very, very good. People like flaws or failings. It makes them more interesting, more relatable, more human. Ruthlessly efficient excellence becomes boring.

b) Happening to be very, very good in a very, very good car. I think it is fair to say drivers who appear to overcome the shortcomings of a difficult car are held in higher regard. Alonso, Hamilton, Raikkonen and others have done this to some extent, but Vettel has yet to really experience this. Perhaps he did last year?

c) Not being English. Most of the media I read has been created by English speakers, the UK in particular, bias is a natural trait of everyone, so the hate would probably be less pronounced were Vettel to have been born in Kent or something.

d) The guy is seriously long winded when it comes to podium interviews! This wouldn't be as noticeable if he were only there a couple of times a year, but right now he is there virtually every race, and often standing in the middle. Given the way the interviews are structured, the winner getting more questions than anyone else, he is allocated the most time already; but then he takes up all of that time and even more besides. You can actually see the podium interviewer developing a nervous tick as he is instructed to head the guy off without wanting to appear rude. And I think the crowds have simply picked up on this. "Oh, boy. Off he goes nattering away about his amazing lights to flag victory again. How is it possible to imply that was difficult when it looked so effortless?"

I think the podium interview format just highlights, in a bad way, anyone's failings when it comes to public speaking. If Raikkonen were winning a lot I'm sure his monosyllabic responses and apparent lack of enthusiasm ("this is only one race, it doesn't mean anything, long way to go, good for sure, would be better if we're number one in the last race, I don't know, maybe....") would become annoying as well.

 

[Fenderman]

Not sure that I agree with all of that but clearly a lot of thought put in there. I would say that actual "haters" are a small minority. From the Brit' side a lot of the "booing" is jusr having some sarcastic fun. It wasn't unexpected in Italy as they hate their Ferrari's getting beaten. I was surprised to hear so much of it in Singapore, though. Must have been a lot of Brit's and Italians on holiday!

 

[RasputinLives]

Australians Mate.

 

[Fenderman]

OF COURSE!!!

 

[Josh]

I don't know, I don't think booing someone is "having sarcastic fun". I think it's very classless and pathetic. Show some respect.

 

[FB]

As I said before, move the interviews back inside and ignore the proles who invade the track.

 

[Greenlantern101]

What .. just what…WHAT….

http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/2...om-fellow-f1-drivers-after-singapore-comments

While Vettel has been robustly supported by the majority of the paddock in the wake of being heckled on the podium at Singapore, it appears that the German's comments in the aftermath of his dominant victory have also caused considerable irritation in some quarters.

"Whilst there's a lot of people hanging their balls in the pool on Fridays, we're still working very hard and pushing very hard so that we have a strong race," said Vettel on the Singapore podium.

"Sebastian brings the boos on himself. He talks about my balls that I hang in the pool and then the boos come. My guys are working hard day and night. He couldn't know if his boys work harder. We give it full throttle. His comments are aloof and were almost his undoing qualifying," said an angry Rosberg.

"I almost stole pole from him and if I had I would have laughed. Sebastian should think less about my balls and more about himself. With comments like that he is running the risk of losing the respect of his fellow drivers."

Is it April 1st?

 

[teabagyokel]

Greenlantern101 - What a ridiculous story from out of nothing!

Being the hardest working team is no guarantee for success. McLaren were the hardest working team this year, they built and designed a brand new car for no reason whatsoever! Now that's effort!

 

[Il_leone]

teabagyokel there is not much to talk about F1 if it aint associated with Vettel/ Red Bull these days although they do bring it on themselves compared to their early season moans about the tyres restricting their speed and now they are wiping the floor off everyone and Horner does his usual smug comments

 

[Blog Zbod]

Honestly, I think Sebastian exacerbates the hate by:

...c) Not being English....

Being German only makes the not being English all the worse. Germans do tend to be more straightforward and less diplomatic than most people from English-speaking nations. What would be a normal conversational tone in German can seem brusque if translated literally to English.


David Hobbs and Steve Matchett made something of a joint pronouncement during NBC Sport's coverage of FP2 from Korea this morning, which is backed up by an online article from BBC's Gary Anderson (Nothing dodgy about Sebastian Vettel). This is something I long have believed but it appears that the motor racing press were too timid to make such a bold statement, until it became apparent that Vettel and Newey are on the verge of taking their fourth consecutive WDC. Now they can say it without fear of losing either their credibility or their façade of impartiality.

Vettel's initial successes in F1 largely were due to the fact he was willing (and able) to adjust his driving style to suit what Newey was producing. Newey would tell him to do XYZ as he entered Turn 8 at Istanbul, and obligingly Vettel would do that XYZ. And, blimey, it worked! And Vettel started winning. But then Newey sussed out Vettel's talents and began designing cars to exploit his strengths. Then winning became dominance.

But the key to their symbiosis is Vettel's input into this feedback loop. He finds a way to express to his engineers what he feels from inside the car in a language they can understand and make material use of. Vettel became a key analytical tool for improving their car.

Anderson writes, "...Vettel is contributing to the design of the car going in a certain direction and when he is given extra performance, he uses it...."

Anderson again, "...I'm not sure Hamilton has it in him to understand the concept of the car, how it works and then go out there and exploit it to the maximum.

"You see Alonso trying to lead the team. Is that because the team needs to be lead, or because that is the way he is?..."

Newey gets the lion's share of the credit for Red Bull's success but Vettel is doing more than any other driver in the field to help his own cause. They are motor racing's Lennon and McCartney. Their whole is greater than the sum of their parts. F1's perfect storm.

 

[Il_leone]

Blog Zbod

You know Damon Hill never got the credit for his input at Williams for Newey dominated cars and it is only when he left Williams everyone realised neither Villeneuve or Frentzen were good at setting up a Newey designed car like Hill in 1997 so I see some parallel with Vettel

Only difference is the opposition are not as consistent and relentless as Schumacher / Brawn / Byrne combination was in 1994-1995

 

[Blog Zbod]

Excellent point, Il_leone.

Some call these races "boring," but I prefer to think of it as watching history in the making.