The praise for Vettel by Stewart, Horner, Newey, and… Whitmarsh

This Sunday, Sebastian Vettel became the Formula One world champion for the second time, after a dominant 2011 campaign, in stark contrast to a much more chaotic 2010 season. But the German’s victory, as the youngest double world champion in history, is mostly one of maturity, according to Adrian Newey: « Vettel is like a sponge: he observes, he learns, he makes mistakes, like everyone else, but never repeats them twice. He is young but thinks a lot. He is incredibly mature for someone so young. It’s incredible what he has learned in Formula One in such a short time, » declares the Briton.

Jackie Stewart expresses a similar sentiment in his column for the Daily Mail: « My best years were my last three. I was able to manage things better because I had more experience, more knowledge, and a bit more wisdom. […] Although his Red Bull was dominant last year, he sometimes showed a lack of maturity by making mistakes that more experienced drivers would have avoided. This year, he is undoubtedly the most mature 24-year-old racing driver I have ever seen. He made small mistakes like in Canada, but his second title is an incredible achievement for someone so young. Doubling the stakes consecutively with all the distractions that being a world champion implies, requires motivation from your team, your mechanics, your engineers, as much as from yourself. If you had asked me the question at the same time last year, I would have told you that he would not win the title this year. »

The triple Scottish world champion dismisses with a wave of the hand the argument often used by critics of the German driver, attributing his success to Red Bull: « What he accomplished, winning two consecutive titles, was extraordinary and should not be downplayed because he had in his hands what has generally been the fastest car […] it takes someone to drive it » exclaims Jackie Stewart, who does not hesitate to add that Sebastian Vettel has « sometimes made Mark Webber, who is a world-class teammate, appear to be an average driver. »

For Christian Horner, team principal of the Austrian team, Sebastian Vettel (really) elevated the level, he began this season as the reigning champion and behaved like a true champion.

The Briton also disputes the notion that his driver’s success is primarily due to his car: « If you think back to the Barcelona race where he was under pressure and then to Monaco, where the pressure was monumental: it was a remarkable drive. Then in Italy, we recall his overtaking of Alonso to win the race in a very authoritative manner. He has been in absolutely fantastic form and has consistently maintained his level for twelve months now. He fully deserves his victory in this championship, which he has dominated since the first race in Melbourne. It’s the result of a lot of hard work on his part and the team’s, and he can be very proud of what he has accomplished. »

Even Martin Whitmarsh, the team principal of McLaren, had to, invited by Christian Horner, swallow his criticisms, notably after the 2010 Belgian Grand Prix where he had labeled the German as the “crash kid”: “I swallow them. At the time, he had a car that could have easily allowed him to be titled, and quite quickly, but it was a close race and, ultimately, he was rather lucky to win. […] But I said it, and I say it again, I think Sebastian drove fantastically this season. With the help of Adrian Newey, he deserves his title. He has been truly impeccable, which is great for him.”

But once is not customary, the final word will go to Bernie Ecclestone who admitted earlier this season that Sebastian Vettel reminded him of Jochen Rindt: « Seb will always keep his feet on the ground, no matter the success. That’s what makes true champions and it was also Jochen’s strength, in addition to both being sore losers. »