For the first time in the history of F1 a driver has finished in the top two positions for the first eight races of the season. Sebastian Vettel is easily in class of his own in 2011. Another victory in Valencia this weekend all but assures his title defence… yes there’s still a long way to go in the season but it’s going to require a superhuman fight (or maybe just a superhuman) to wrest the title from his grasp at this point.
At 23 years old, soon to be 24, he has an ominous calm about him. It hasn’t always been the case though. In 2010 he barged, allegedly, into his own teammate in Turkey and memorably into Button at Spa. Before that he ran into the back of Mark Webber behind the safety car in the 2008 Fuji Gp. He was called impetuous and according to some had zero overtaking ability. The thing about 2011 is that we’re still not clear on the can-he-or-can’t-he overtaking question…and it may be a while yet before we know for sure. The one thing we are sure of is that Vettel isn’t just the man to beat; he’s the man to be.
It’s easy to laud praise in hindsight. Some knew, early on, from watching the young German that he had the potential to turn out a supreme racing driver. And the rest, as they say, is history.
“By winning the Italian GP, Vettel become the youngest ever Formula One race winner, taking over that tag from two-time world champion, Fernando Alonso. It was a supreme display of driving skill by a definite superstar of the future. A performance such as this deserves all the accolades it’s going to get – and more…Vettel earned this victory by driving a stunning race from start to finish. Keeping it together in atrocious conditions at the start could not have been easy for anyone and even less so for the so-called underdog. He didn’t “luck” into this victory due to retirements or mistakes by other teams; he went out there and took it. A standing ovation for the peerless Sebastian Vettel please.”
– Day of the underdog (Monza 2008) by Natalie Le Clue
“He started out in a Friday practice session in the 2007 Turkish Gp. He banged in the fastest lap and went home. They gave him a cursory glance. He debuted in the Indianapolis Gp and scored his first point in a Formula 1 race. They nodded their heads in acknowledgement. He dominated the 2008 Monza Gp with his first Formula 1 pole position and victory. They patted him on the back and said well done. He ended 2009 as the runner-up. They said almost, but maybe he’s not ready. In 2010 he was the fastest driver throughout the entire year. He endured mechanical failures and made mistakes that spoke of his youthful exuberance. But when the moment came, so did the man. In 2010 Sebastian Vettel became the world champion. And they saluted him and they knew there is plenty more where that came from.”
– Cometh the hour, cometh the man (2010 World Champion) by Natalie Le Clue
