I have said before that I do not understand the fuss over Sebastian Vettel and it remains true for the moment. Yes, he has won a couple of races and been a strong contender this year but is his brief career in F1 really so amazing that it justifies the exaggerated praise he receives? I will admit that he goes up in my estimation as time goes on but he is still a long way from earning such descriptions as "a future champion" or "a much better driver than Button".
Sebastian Vettel
Having said which, it seems that a few doubts are beginning to creep into some minds. For the first time, mention has been made of the fact that his wins have come in the wet and from the front; we have yet to see him make the kind of daring overtaking move that Hamilton displayed in his first year. Is he another Massa - quick on a clear track but not so good when coming from behind?
It may be that Vettel will prove such doubts unfounded this season but my point is really that we do not know the answer as yet. My suggestion is merely that we retain a grip on reality when assessing the lad and avoid the exaggerated hyperbole that has been heaped upon him so far. Let him prove himself - it is no more than we ask of any F1 driver.
Being dispassionately realistic, I would say that, so far, Vettel has shown us several qualities, all of them important in the armory of a world drivers champion. We know that he is quick and is winning the qualifying battle with Webber to date. That is no mean feat, given that Mark has a reputation himself as a qualifying specialist. Sebastian has also shown that he can win with ease when in the the right car and starting from pole position. What I find most impressive in his two wins, however, is his confidence when leading; on both occasions he never put a foot wrong and looked as though he had been winning GPs all his life. He is also personable, has a sense of humor and has avoided putting his foot in his mouth so far.
Against that we must set the doubt over his overtaking abilities. It is not just that he proved incapable of passing both Hamilton and Trulli in Bahrain and Massa in Barcelona, it is more significant that he could not even get close enough to attempt a pass. Button had already dealt with Hamilton in Bahrain, admittedly very early in the race when tires may not have been at their best, and Webber showed in Barcelona that overtaking was not impossible.
And the mention of Webber reminds us of the other rumor floating around at the moment - that the Red Bull team were not happy that der Seb had been beaten by the Australian in Barcelona.
Interesting cameo in the Red Bull area after the race where someone close to Mark Webber, who drove brilliantly to leapfrog Massa and Vettel and grab a podium, said, "I’m glad someone here is happy," implying that the place was like a morgue because the chosen one had not got the anticipated result...
That would be in keeping with the reputation of the Red Bull teams for playing favorites and it could well be the result of Helmut Marko's backing of Vettel. In the comments to a recent post of mine, Timbo had this to say:
I think you're right about Red Bull/STR driver favouritsm. They played a lovely game of mental disintegration with Scott Speed didn't they?
Helmut Marko certainly seems to play favourites. Craig Lowndes (a very handy Australian touring car driver) went to Europe to drive for him in F3000 in 1997 at Tom Walkinshaw's behest - partnering Montoya. Apparently he'd miss practice sessions because the mechanics would leave his car in pieces to work on JPM's...
It is up to each team how they deal with their drivers but the suspicion that Vettel might be receiving more attention than Webber does put another question mark over the young German's performances relative to his team mate's. As I pointed out before the season began, the outcome of the Red Bull team mate battle it is pretty important for both of their careers - but, if it is not a level playing field, a Vettel victory would be suspect at least.
Another Timbo comment on the same post is also interesting in the context of the contrast between Webber's and Vettel's overtaking skills:
Webber's starting to show himself as the master of the ballsy overtake when the chips are down - witness his around-the-outside-through-a-wall-of-spray move on Button in China, and his race defining re-take of Alonso yesterday.
I read a comment somewhere wondering if Vettel has made an overtaking move. It's an interesting question, as his two wins have come from pole in the rain, when all the cars behind him are at a relative disadvantage due to the spray. He is undoubtedly a stellar qualifier, but are there question marks over his race craft? Relatively poor starts have cost him greatly this year, and he's had more than one race ruined being stuck behind KERS cars for lengthy periods. Additionally, his clumsy defence of position (and Kubica's equally clumsy attempted pass) cost him a podium in Melbourne. It'll be interesting to watch Vettel develop over the course of the year.
It seems that I am not the only one to think that the Vettel/Webber struggle is not over yet. And, if Vettel does not emerge at the end of the year as the clear winner over his team mate, his reputation will plummet. Mark Webber has his fans and detractors but I don't recall him ever being described as "the next Schumacher"...
All I am saying is that we need to see a lot more of Vettel before deciding whether he really is the best thing since Senna. On the evidence so far, he is looking good, although Jenson Button is looking better. Let us limit our praise to his actual achievements, instead of running on ahead and giving him credit that he has not earned as yet.
After all, it was not all that long ago that a young man exploded on to the F1 scene, was lauded with exaggerated descriptions of how great he was going to be, and earned hatred in some quarters when it all became too much. And Hamilton shows all the signs of actually living up to those early hopes...