The paddock talks about the Vettel Attitude

After the Belgian Grand Prix, we have confirmation that the duel for the final victory should be between Hamilton and Webber. On the Spa track, many drivers seriously compromised their chances for the championship win. Beyond the problems related to the capricious weather of the Belgian ‘chamber pot’ (once), one person crystallizes the attention of the F1 Circus, Sebastian Vettel. Indeed, his attitude throughout the race and his repeated mistakes classify him in the category of talented young drivers in distress.

Would he have reached his limits in the face of the challenge?

Would he have lost his footing in a team entirely dedicated to him, against a teammate who dominates him?

Would he be showing signs of obvious annoyance as his image as a ‘cool’ and friendly young prodigy fades a little more each day?

Here are so many questions that we have the right to ask. The latest victim of the Vettel attitude, Jenson Button, has a clear vision of the young German’s situation: «He makes too many mistakes this year to fight for the world championship but he is extremely fast, we cannot take that quality away from him.»

This weekend David Coulthard, the legendary Scottish driver who paved the way for victory with the Red Bull team, agreed by saying: Vettel is still too young to win the drivers’ world championship.

Let us recall that the young German collided with Button in a risky maneuver, ignoring the driving rules. After a double change of trajectory, he took the outside on the reigning world champion, lost control of his car which was coming in too fast at the entrance of the turn, the left side of the McLaren was hit by a ‘slightly crazy’ bull. Button saw his race come to nothing while Vettel was able to continue with a damaged nose. This illicit maneuver was quickly sanctioned by the stewards who gave him a drive-through penalty.

How can one not remember the unbelievable incident in Turkey in May when the 23-year-old German collided with his teammate Mark Webber? While Vettel blamed the Australian, many at the time openly accused him. In Hungary, his mispositioning under the safety car penalized him with a drive-through. Once again, he lost all chances as victory was in sight.

It is clear that Vettel displays a certain dominance, his seven poles in thirteen races attest to it. But in terms of results, he has only won two races. This rather low yield leaves Button perplexed: “Getting seven poles when we have only raced 13 times is extraordinary, letting so many victories slip away is also very surprising.”

Should we talk about nervousness? The analyses by Button and Coulthard clearly point in this direction.

In the evening of this Belgian race, his 15th place relegates him to 31 points behind the championship leader Lewis Hamilton, whereas his teammate, Webber, is only 3 points behind and still has all his chances to claim the title.

Martin Whitmarsh, the McLaren boss, is very critical, going so far as to change Vettel’s nickname from ‘Baby Schumi’ to ‘Crash Kid’. One can judge the resentment on the English side here.

Even though Webber is far ahead in the standings, Button is sure that Red Bull will not favor him: “I don’t think they will. I think they like Vettel… I don’t think they’ll put all their eggs in one basket.”

For Christian Horner, the analysis of the situation is clear, as is his attachment to Vettel: Based on the season so far, we can say that Mark looks in great shape, but as we’ve seen before, things can change so quickly, you’d have to be stupid to decide to exclude Sebastian from the title race.

Beyond the sporting and financial aspects, Red Bull must take into account the incredible popularity of Webber, an experienced driver who commands respect. At his age, a World Championship victory would be a true accomplishment. On the other hand, Vettel, through his attitude, has just revealed to the public a side of his personality that no one knew. He, the zen and calm driver who impresses despite his youth, finds himself in turmoil.

If by any chance Red Bull favored Vettel, some would cry scandal because Webber managed to take the advantage on the track.

If Red Bull were to procrastinate, the team could lose time and ultimately cost Webber the championship, while still failing to reignite Vettel.

Formula 1 is based on a simple principle: timing. In this sport more than any other, everything is a matter of timing.

Today, Red Bull must take this parameter into account and make decisive decisions to keep all its chances of performing well.