It is just a matter of time before Sebastian Vettel is
crowned 2013 Formula One World Champion which will be for the fourth
consecutive time. Vettel was driving on another planet at the Singapore GP as
he demolished his rivals. It is very rare to see a car and driver in perfect
sync with each but I think that is exactly what Vettel and his RBR managed to
achieve this weekend. He has always been quick but for at least 30% of the race
he was a whopping 2 seconds faster than the entire field, which is an
unbelievable feat that has not been seen in F1 for over 20 years.
One thing that has emerged in the last couple of races is
that the battle for 2nd is proving to be the most interesting part of the race.
Not taking anything away from Vettel, but there are 6-7 drivers who are so
close and battling for position, which is more fun. They all qualify within 2-3
tenths off each other and its anyone's game after. Fernando Alonso has finished
in 2nd place in the last three races and this is mainly due to his starts and
his aggressive first couple of laps. If you actually look at the first few laps
of any race there are only two drivers who are really aggressive on a regular
basis, Vettel and Alonso. Even if Vettel loses the lead off the start line he
will manage to get it back by the end of the first or second lap. Alonso
similarly jumps atleast 3-4 place in the opening laps. This then helps them in
controlling the outcome to their race.
Now let's come to the topic that is becoming a regular occurrence
at the podium ceremony. Vettel is clearly getting booed at every race and now
it's becoming a fashion of sorts to boo him. Many people including RBR Team
Boss Christian Horner and others say it is not sporting and shows lack of
respect. Vettel did not show any sort of sportsmanship or respect when the
whole Multi 21 episode happened so not sure why they should use words like
sportsmanship and respect when he did not follow the same. Most of the booing
is a result of Multi 21 when Vettel disobeyed team orders and overtook Webber
in Malaysia.
Alonso also got booed when Felipe Massa let him through in
Hockenheim 2010 but thats just how the sport goes. My opinion is very simple,
don't preach or tell the F1 fans what to do - people want to boo let them,
people want to cheer let them. The more you harp on the booing the more it will
get. And hey if you look at a sport like Football it is a regular occurrence.
If the booing goes on I am not sure it will help Red Bull in the long run, but
hey as long as they keep winning not sure they will have a problem. But am sure
it must be disturbing for the team and a big task ahead for the Red Bull PR and
Marketing team to make him more likeable. I am sure many people disagree with
me but this is my view.
On that note I do believe Vettel has driven brilliantly to
totally deserve this year's world championship. I do not think he was a
deserving 2012 winner but this year he has been flawless. I expect him to be crowned 2013 F1 Champion at the Indian GP. So now bring on 2014!!
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