Commenting to Germany's Focus Magazine , Vettel said he's rather be "taming dragons" and that he's having trouble finding feeling with his car "which does not know what I want".
His Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo has had no such difficulties coming to terms with the new style F1, making the 4 time world champion look somewhat ordinary in the first four races of the season.
Of course many fans will agree that fire spitting, loud, sparking F1 cars would be much more spectacular but what you're hearing from Vettel, is that just sour grapes?
After all, he was not complaining so much when he had the blown exhaust cars figured out in the past few years and frankly other than the noise, I don't see a huge difference in the racing despite the radical technology changers. Except that Seb isn't winning that is.
Thoughts?
no comments...
ReplyDeletetough luck.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I think that Lewis Hamilton should look back on the past few years of all his bitching and moaning before he makes comments to Vettel saying he should man up and stop complaining. No one likes to get beat, especially at the pinnacle of stress and racing. Besides, what else would we have to talk about if we didn't have multimillionaire drivers bitching about their jobs, Nascar throwing cautions whenever they felt like it!?
ReplyDeleteIf you define the best driver by their ability to drive pretty much any car, you can put them in a Suzuki Liana and make them go around an airfield, and they'll get as much out of that car as possible.
ReplyDeleteTo be sure, Vettel has talent in driving a car, but he has shown himself to be incapable of adapting quickly to the new car. People who respect driving ability have noted time and again that someone like Fernando Alonso is getting perhaps the most out of his less than his car, which means that he's not only a talented driver but has adapted well (and also that he is a very talented racer, which is distinct from being a very talented driver).
If everyone had Seb's car from the last few seasons, it's an extremely reasonable debate as to whether or not another driver would have been able to beat Seb. Webber couldn't, but that's not to say Lewis, Kimi, Fernando, etc. couldn't have made Seb look like an amateur.
Seb's complaints make him appear as a driver who cannot adapt, which suggests to me that he's not as talented a driver as perhaps some of the others. After all, assuming reasonably that the cars are nearly identical, we all know the car can go much quicker, thanks to his teammate.
Your comment is 'no comment'? wtf?
ReplyDeleteYep. I think that PanAsianPanda has it spot on. Those regarded as the best drivers in the history of F1 are those that were able to pull a result out of a car that really didn't deserve it. Vettel arguably did that one day at Monza in a Torro Rosso and hasn't needed to show it since, but his credibility is certainly taking a knock this season and it isn't the change in formula that's the issue.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Hamilton fan and I think in the past years Lewis did have reason to complain about. He WAS the fastest man in a few races, and I remember him not being able to complete (and win) races because the car just "died". But what the reason why Vettel is complaining now is simply because he can't adjust to the car, and as PanAsianPanda said talented drivers should be able to do it.
ReplyDeleteHe is frustrated now because the playing field has leveled out. Everyone is running at a new level. It takes time to adjust but whining about it just makes him look like a cry-baby. Not to take away from Vettel's talent, but winning an F1 race should never be "easy". It seems, based on results from races, that Red Bull have won races in an easier fashion. The brilliant mind of Newey and his designs undoubtedly helped Seb win more than he would normally... but for 2014, it's up to the "tool" behind the wheel" (driver). I mean I cannot remember the last time I saw 5 different makes/teams in the top 5. More than a decade ago?
ReplyDeleteNobody likes to lose, but it seems Red Bull has become addicted to winning, and now they're all sour because since they're not, they're going through withdrawals. It's easy to talk when things are going well. I agree Lewis should watch what he says a bit more... with all this Mercedes vs RedBull talk... WATCH OUT FOR FORCE-INDIA! You never know ;)
I think the time calls for another race like this one... put them in something of spec. See who runs at the top. Might be too detrimental to drivers as their sponsors may not be happy...
ReplyDeleteOf course Seb has a right to complain. He and his team have been robbed. All we've don't is exchanged one dominant team for another. I'm a Seb fan no doubt, but I don't really know what to say about Seb this season. He's been out qualified and out raced by his teammate. I can't figure it out. In one sense, his performance seems all staged. I think RBR is in a real public relations predicament about what to do with him. He's the most successful F1 driver in the sports history, and his problem is, outside of German no one seems to like him. If he were at Ferrari like Alonso everyone would like him, or shall I say they would like him more, but he's not at Ferrari, he's at "that drinks maker", and therefore he's not necessarily a fan favorite. He doesn't look the part. He's known for not being all that personable. He makes the female reporters give him smooches before he'll do an interview. He pours champagne on DC during post-race interviews. He doesn't get along with his teammates. The list goes on and on. A part of me thinks he's deliberately taking a dive in an effort or save his popularity with fans. Maybe he's giving someone else a shot at the glory for awhile. Remember all a driver has to do is apply his breaks a fraction of a second sooner or wait and press the throttle a fraction of a second later to add just a few tenths to his lap time. Look at the video provided above. Seb didn't even fight to protect the inside line going into the tight right-hander. He just let the Caterham go right through. It could be motorsports chicane chicanery at its finest.
ReplyDeleteI may be a little bold in this statement, but I think Seb has what it takes to be F1 first ten time world champ!!!! or if not ten time champ he could break Schumi's seven time champ record. A man owes it to humanity and a man owes it to himself to be the best he can be. Fuck the haters. May the best man win!!!!! Lewis should cake-walk to this years title, but just think, come November Lewis and the guys at Merc will probably be thinking, "Man thank goodness the FIA screwed over RBR so we could win a title. Cause if the FIA hadn't of screwed over RBR we would be lucky to get an occasional third place this year."
FORMULA 1 - THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH!!!!
Yep he is talented to a point. But what has Seb really proven in the past 4 years ? That he is faster than Webber... But not much more. Newey is largely responsible for the championships in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteSo finally we see Seb challenged by a proper teammate....and so far , he's really not that exceptional . No question this car may not suit him , or his style .... So keen to see next year , or maybe he does have a bad chassis? But he's mortal for sure
Lastly, even on bad days , I gain more and more respect for Alonso, as he has shown huge leadership , in driving the team forward, with great positivity, despite years of average cars....Seb needs to model Alonso to have any long lasting legacy in my mind....and the time to show it is now, when things are tougher...
I agree, and put them on a damp track too!
ReplyDeletethose who do not adapt......
ReplyDelete1st, my comment to this article meant that his complaints deserve "no comments".
ReplyDelete2nd, if I must :-) then I'll elaborate.:
He was part of a package, a winning solution. So was Schumacher (but at least he built said structure). Hell, even Pastor dominated in GP2 under the right circumstances (money). You take that away and you're left with complaints from a fast driver. He is no Hamilton, Alonso or Kimi, just to mention current top F1 drivers. Timing, money, luck and a good structure behind a fast driver can make him win races, own and break a lot of records, but won't provide the natural born talent to drive the wheels off of anything that's put under him.
Lewis is the king of the late brakers just as Seb is king of the early throttle.
ReplyDeleteThe Mercedes has the best package and Lewis could be on an eleven win streak. Late braking on the new brake by wire/energy harvest systems apparantly fits Lewis' style far more than the big torque and low downforce formula works for Sebastian.
Haters are gonna hate no matter what the facts might be. Sure Seb has sour grapes, but he is approaching it with a good head and could bring the fight to Mercedes as the season develops because Seb is part of his team. When he won the championship last year, he helped his mechanics pack up shop so they all could celebrate together, not something I'd expect a diva to do. If Seb were mediocre and difficult, he would not have won 4 straight WDC and his chances this year would be much darker.
I'm pleased that Daniel Ricciardo is making Vettel look as average. That said it's a shame Hamilton never went to Redbull. He's a knob most of the time but he'd have wiped the floor with Vettel in the same car which would have been funny to see. Vettel is just like Schumacher. He has to have the entire team and technical advantages to his liking of he's average at best. I would also have bet Hakkinen would have comprehensively beat Schumacher in the same car/tyres.
ReplyDeleteI believe any champion should also be measured by how they respond to hardship. Mr. Vettel seems to complain and sulk. Some may claim he is "ultra-competitive" or other descriptors. To me, he seems to be a poor loser; a weak champion.
ReplyDeleteThis comment is hilariously delusional... Yeah, I'm sure Seb is intentionally being slow LOL.
ReplyDeleteI would like to smoke some of what you are having.
ReplyDeleteYup, we witnessed the same over at McLaren with a not so good car vs. Jensen.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how everyone feels after his drive this past Sunday. He has complained all season that he is not getting a feel for the car, yet, he is leading his team mate in the WDC, keeping in mind, he is not comfortable, like Kimi is not comfortable. No one is blasting the 1x WCD Kimi for his lack of talent? Seb showed brilliance this past Sunday and we shall see if he can carry this momentum through to Monaco.
ReplyDeleteI am at a loss how anyone thinks this season is interesting. All we are tuning in for is to see who will take the 3rd step on the podium. Before every race we know Mercedes is going to be 1-2 and practically lap half the field and somehow this is better than the last 4 years. F1 fans have short memories. At least the last few seasons saw lot of different podiums in the first 5 races.