Although it’s seemed inevitable for the last couple months, Infiniti Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel officially clinched his fourth consecutive Formula 1 Drivers’ World Championship this weekend at the Indian Grand Prix. He did it in a rather Vettel-like fashion, taking both the pole and race victory for his sixth straight GP win and tenth total victory of the season. With the Indian GP win, Infiniti Red Bull also clinched their fourth consecutive constructors’ title.
With both championships already wrapped up, three more races remain on the F1 schedule before the move to new engines in 2014. Time will tell whether Vettel and Red Bull can continue their domination in ’14 or if the new powerplants and driver changes will finally shake things up in F1.
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congrats to Vettel...i just wish pirelli would get their shit together
Congrats to Vettel for being a talented driver in the fastest car with the best team. I laughed out loud when i read about him whining about getting boo'd. I'd like to see him win championships on any other team. If he can do that, then everyone will shut up. He's a good driver, no doubt, but he's got a lot of growing to do.
90% Adrian Newey 5%redbull team 5%vettel, he is a good pilot but he ins't great and that's what makes a champion, hope they give the other car to kimmy or hamilton that would have been interesting to see meanwhile wait for new rules to change the game, besides redbull mechanical supremacy F1 so cool next year alonso vs raikonnen =hunt vs lauda awesome
People can hate all they like, but winning a World championship 4 times is no slouch.
Congrats to Vettel and the RBR team, 2014s going to be an interesting year for everyone
I think hes 1 of these people you either " love to hate" or "hate to love". but he deserves applauding for such a milestone.
I cant believe Red Bull got a fine for the doughnuts though! i couldn't see that happening in MotoGP.
Love to listen to armchair GP drivers pick the man apart. I remember him sitting in for Kubica at BMW and scoring points. The youngest to do so at the time. Everyone cheered and tapped him as a "future champion". Then how about that win in China with Toro Rosso. Everyone lauded him then. But win 4 championships in a row and suddenly his a middling driver? I never understand that. He is a true and deserving champion. Sure, Newey and RBR have given him a gem of a car, but show me someone who has won a championship in the modern era with a "bad" car. Look at Webber (and I am not a conspiracy theorist). Excellent and mentally tough driver. He has faded away since his almost-had-it 2010 campaign. Sure, there was Monaco 2010 (not bad...), and some other flashes of brilliance despite his stand off with the team. But to be a world champion, you have to have the best team, best strategy, best driver and luck. I still look back to the in car footage at the 2011 Abu Dabhi GP. Seb's fastest race lap...he never blinked. Now I am sure that most drivers are capable of such feats, but he is truly one of the greats. And finally, when Alonso and Schumacher (arguably the other two greats of the recent decade and a half) point to Vettel as an excellent and deserving would champion. Remember, this is a 26 year old who negotiates his own contracts without a manager, pitches in to help clean up so that the entire team can celebrate the championships together and avoids the party scene (Raikkonen) and media spotlight (Hamilton) that some other champions flock to. He is a poised and talented young man. /argument.
Feel bad for Webber...... Something is def going on......
Having had the pleasure of watching him earlier in the year at Spa, it completely changed my attitude towards him. I've never seen anyone drive a car so fast and so consistently over the course of a race. Every lap was inch perfect and a sheer joy to watch. A driver and his car in absolute harmony together. Sublime.
I don't think people realise how lucky we are to have such a talent in front of us. He's also one of the nicest guys in the paddock. Ruthless on track mind you, but every racing driver should be.
reno808 Nonsense, he's a 37 year old F1 driver who is more often than not at the sharp end of the grid. Whether they admit to it or not, every team has a number two who has a role to fill. If he was with any other team, he wouldn't have enjoyed half the success he has.
alejoush The idea that someone can become a four time consecutive world champion by not being a great drive is a strange one...
roeby Technically, they weren't fined for donuts but for failing to instruct the driver to return the car to Parc Ferme without delay. Still though, it's baffling...
PaddyMcGrath Think the problem is we DON'T have his talent in front of us, he's always so far ahead that us TV watchers never see him drive!
PaddyMcGrath reno808 Buddy before you starting talking rubbish and make yourself look the way you do please loook: http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/attachments/racing-and-drivers-education-forum/772512d1382633225-2013-grand-prix-of-india-webber-2013.jpg
Vettel hasnt had any of these issues. Normally when F1 driver has issue the other driver will too. Its fact and well documented.
reno808 Woah, take off the tinfoil hat there! Vettel did in fact have the same issue as Webber in India, the difference and what has always been the case, in my opinion of course, is that Vettel is just able to look after his car better. Being the number two driver will often mean that he will often be the one to test any new developments before they are applied to both cars. There's inherent risk in that unfortunately.
But the idea that Red Bull would purposely sabotage their own car, and potentially risk their chances of another constructors world title is ludicrous!
PaddyMcGrath reno808 Hey the actions speak for themselves. I am not saying Vettel is a bad driver and doesn't deserve it, but you need to look at what is going on.
Oh boy this is funny. Take off the tin foil hat!! I also like how you say webber had to shut it down because he lost sixth gear..... When it was the alternator that shit itself.
Paddys and my tinfoil hat comment is regarding your ridiculous conspiracy theory... Needless to say vettel is simply just better than webber!
He didn't win in china in a torro rosso, he won in monza in a torro rosso, and scored redbulls first win in china
The idea that adrian newey designs the car himself must make him the worlds smartest man... People forget that Adrain has a team of super talented people beneath him designing parts too. Adrain just overseas them all... Also I wonder how the hell hamilton and kimi are so great with one championship and vettel can not be with 4 defies logic considering he had to fight for two of his championships down to the last race... No different to lewis or kimi
And kimi swears allot, alonso thinks he is a samurai, and lewis checks twitter and facebook more often than a school girl youtubing one direction. Vettels younger than all 3 and the worst he does is complain about slower cars and win all the time. Yep much growing up to do.
Also Abu dabhi 2011 fastest race lap from seb... I hate to be an anorak but sebs tyre let go into turn two on the opening lap. And he retired from the race.
Jezza k Yes sorry it was the alternator. i was thinking about something else.
PaddyMcGrath alejoush some "great" pilots: fangio senna hakkinen schumacher mansel and many more pilots that manage to do something special manage to win great battles against great rivals, not racing alone in the best car four years in a row with anyone been able to keep his pace. He never did a great race one to remember where he managed to gain the respect that others already have 4 years been champion and I can remember anything taht deserves a WOW like other pilots there, and once again give any other pilot a redbull and give vettel a mercedez or ferrari and let's see them what happens. Even a great pilot form my country argentina that doesn't have the opportunity to run in f1 has more talent and greatness than seb he defeat vettel many times in other series making him look like a rookie he is esteabn guerrieri if you want you can't search some info from him, so vettel 4 times world champion for me not so true to the sport, yes to the comercial reality of it and yes adrian only designs I worked in a team here in my country and the designer is the 90% of the car so hamilton and kimi run in closer series in terms of competion thay have best rivals and defeated them with class thats what defines great pilots not good ones with championships I respect vettel for what he done but for me he isn't that good to have them.
alejoush I presume that you've conveniently left out the fact that when Vettel won his title last year, he did so against five other previous world champions. A record if I'm not mistaken? He's also the youngest ever world champion, the youngest ever to set pole position (Toro Rosso), youngest ever to score a championship point (BMW Sauber) and holds records with Schumacher, Ascari, Clark & Mansell.
Yet by your standards, he isn't good enough to be a four time world champion? Also, you left out the fact that Schumacher, Senna & others often had the best car on the grid too but yet you don't hold that against them?
I don't get all this Vettel hate, I really don't.
PaddyMcGrath alejoush Agree with you Paddy. What is it about people that they just like to bitch about others who are more successful and achieve their dreams? If you havent achieved your dreams, then work harder! but stop bitching about those that have.
Vettel is simply a great driver. This is proven beyond any doubt, because actions speak louder that words. Never before seen anyone win one of the worlds most difficult championships to win if he's just "average"or "good" He's also the product of a "perfect storm". Brilliant car designer (Newey), brilliant manager (Horner), brilliant backer (Mateschitz), and brilliant mentor (Schumacher... (now we'll see all the Schumi haters come out of the woodwork)) And when you look at all the above, he obviously has the most incredible luck as well!!! Vettel has the ability to manage the team around him and create something more than the sum of its parts, as Horner suggested earlier this week.
The people that give all the credit to Newey, please remember that Newey had his share of cars that didnt win as well. Please remember that he designed the car that Senna died in. (no, I'm not blaming him. Simply trying to illustrate that he's not King Midas). Newey also only succeeds the way he is right now as a result of this "perfect storm" of teamwork.
And to all the people who seemingly feel sorry for Webber, please dont misunderstand me, I think he's a brilliant driver and a great guy but it would appear that he simply hasnt created the same "team" around him as Vettel did. And how can anyone feel sorry for a guy who's made millions doing what he loves to do??? Ok, he hasnt won the championship, but then so have many other worthy drivers. I feel more sorry for Massa, having been champ for about 20 seconds...
To all the knockers, please stop. Learn something about yourself, in that you dont need to knock others. You can like what you want to like, and you dont have to agree with everyone else all the time, but at least be polite and try to look for the positives instead of bashing others.
I too was a seb hater, but now I'am convinced. World Champion for sure. I'am a big kimi fan (go finlandia) but the way seb would get that 2 second plus gap every time made me a believer.
Vettels a very good driver and deserves every championship without question. I just think when another team finally gets their act together and fills Vettels Red Bull mirrors looking for that mistake theyll quickly find it.
On another note there are always alot of micro smiles whenever seb, adrian,or horner are asked about the car. I think there is something going on with it and the other teams havent figured it out yet but it must be legal. I also think its on the front of the car, not the rear as most suggest. Maybe something to do with front ride height. Lotus I think tested something like that and it got banned. maybe they worked their way around the rules.
I am for Hamilton this year but I must admit that Vettel is a great driver!
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PaddyMcGrath alejoush We just want to see him win in a car that isn't utterly dominant. 4 years of gapping the field in a car that other cars occasionally come close to or match. His talent is undeniable, he has incredible pace. He should be a world champion. I just cannot believe 4 world championships have come mostly on his merit. Schumacher too had everything in his favor when he won, but in his admittedly lackluster return, you could see he still had all the racecraft he ever did, if not the outright pace. Vettels wins are almost always delivered without on track battles or significant challenges. At Suzuka this year his form was utterly unremarkable compared to his usual very smooth laps, and that was one of the few times he was under pressure this season. He had off track excursions and didn't look like a 4 time world champ.
I'd rather watch Kimi or Alonso charge through the field than Vettel lead every lap. They thrive under pressure, Vettel wavers.
Option13 PaddyMcGrath alejoush I totally agree with option13 I never said vettel was bad driver I simply remarked that he is not that great as other world champions that even having the best car the gap to the second best team generaly wasn't as big as it is now. The other day I run into an article in f1 page that compared vettel to fangio and for me vettel isn't a 3% of what fangio was yes he maybe had de best cars to but he always demonstrate he was great, one of many to remark the day he lost 30 seconds in nurburgring yes the green hell, and take the victory the same, or the day another pilot give him his car to finish the race becouse he was so great, And ler's not speak about senna or other champions that besides having or not the best car had great rivals in a much closer battles for championships that made them great just that vettel won his first championship becouse alonso couldnt pass a car I don't get what other people see in him but I respect him and his way of winning but I don't like it
It's a well deserved win for Vettel and RBR, as they have dominated, and Seb is a truly great driver, I'm wondering how high he will climb, could he overtake Schumacher achievement wise? I am hoping the significant changes next year shake things up, but have a feeling Seb will be the quickest to learn and adapt, and have a natural advantage through pure skill.