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Formula 1
COOPER: Vettel, Red Bull Reigned In 2011
You’d be pretty brave to bet against Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull winning a third straight World Championship...
Sebastian Vettel is all smiles at the 2011 FIA Prize Giving Gala. (Photo: FIA)
It’s been a big week for Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bull Racing team. Last weekend Seb did what amounted to a victory lap in front of his home crowd, when he took part in the Race of Champions in Dusseldorf.
Once again, he won the nations event with his old pal and regular RoC teammate Michael Schumacher.
From there he dashed to London for the Autosport Awards on Sunday evening, where for a second year in a row he picked up the prize for International Racing Driver of the Year.
He held the room spellbound during his on-stage interview, and made it clear that he was very pleased to be there, having turned down a major live German TV show. The audience was very appreciative of a man who, after all, beat Brits Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton to the title. Vettel’s popularity transcends national boundaries, and he is quite simply a good guy. To put it into perspective, seven-time World Champion Schumacher has never been to the Autosport event, despite being invited every year...
Yesterday, Seb was in Delhi, India where he picked up the World Championship trophy for the second time at the FIA’s glitzy annual gala. Christian Horner was also there to pick up the constructors’ prize, along with Mark Webber, who took the third-place honors.
From there the trio dashed to Delhi airport to catch a red eye flight back to London for a special appointment Saturday. The streets of the sleepy town of Milton Keynes (home base to RBR) were closed this afternoon to allow Vettel and Webber to do a joint demonstration run. It was a chance to showcase the cars in front of the hundreds of factory employees who never get a chance to see them running on track, as well as thousands of fans who came from all over the UK to see the event.
It was the perfect way for team and driver to mark the end of a remarkable season. Attention now, of course, begins to turn to 2012. Can they do it again?
You’d be pretty brave to bet against it, for while McLaren and Ferrari will no doubt raise their games and push RBR even harder than this year, Adrian Newey is not going to drop the ball any time soon – even with new exhaust/diffuser rules adding an intriguing element to the mix. It’s a fresh start for everyone, but that’s the sort of thing that Newey relishes.
“It’s the same challenge as last year,” says team boss Horner of next season. “We know our rivals won’t stand still. I think what makes this title and retaining the title so special is the caliber of teams we’re up against is so high, so to have defended both titles in the fashion that we have, I think in all areas we have been a stronger team in 2011 than we were in 2010. I’m convinced that we can still improve. The team is hugely motivated. Of course, we don’t know what the other teams are doing.
“There’s reasonable continuity in the regulations, but nothing is assured, so we’ll just keep our heads down, keep working hard, and hopefully turn up with a competitive RB8 in Melbourne in spring next year.”
The 2011 season was a near faultless one for the team, and Horner points out that it was far better than the previous year, when team and drivers made mistakes. Lessons were learned.
“I think we defended the title better than we won it. I think the team in all areas has evolved, and of course all the areas you don’t see behind the scenes.
“We’ve had, bar the puncture or tire issue in Abu Dhabi, complete reliability this year, which is a phenomenal achievement. We’ve scored 650 points in the constructors’ championship, which is incredible. Hopefully, we can build on what we’ve achieved, and apply it into next year.
“We pushed up until the checkered flag in Brazil. There are lessons that we’ve learned that we’ll apply to next year’s car. As usual, Adrian’s never early with his designs, and that’s exactly the same situation that we’re in now, but I’m sure we’ll hopefully come out of the blocks well in 2012.”
It was good that Webber was part of Saturday's celebrations in Milton Keynes, and it wasn’t just a ‘Vettelfest.’ The Aussie has played an important role in building the team up, even if his 2011 season did not match anyone’s expectations – especially his own.
His victory in Brazil was a timely bonus, and while Vettel had to nurse his gearbox in that event, Mark did at least have to be there to be able to take full advantage.
“It’s great that Mark won a race,” says Horner. “I think it would have been very, very tough for him to have gone into the winter with Seb having won 11 races and Mark not having won a race. Arguably, one of the best races to win is the last race; it sets him up into the winter very nicely. He’s third in the championship. Hopefully, he will go away in the winter, have a bit of time off, and recharge his batteries, and I’m sure he’ll come back strong in 2012.
“Let’s not take anything from Sebastian though, because Sebastian’s been operating at such as high level this year; that’s what’s compounded the issue for Mark. He’s been up against a teammate in the most phenomenal form, operating at the most phenomenal high level.”
He was helped by a brilliant car and a team that gave him superb service, but the bottom line is that Vettel really was operating on a different level this year, especially in qualifying. It’s hard to believe that the guy is only 24 – and he can only get better. And that must be a little worrisome for the opposition.
Adam Cooper notched up his 26th season as a racing journalist in 2010. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
Once again, he won the nations event with his old pal and regular RoC teammate Michael Schumacher.
From there he dashed to London for the Autosport Awards on Sunday evening, where for a second year in a row he picked up the prize for International Racing Driver of the Year.
He held the room spellbound during his on-stage interview, and made it clear that he was very pleased to be there, having turned down a major live German TV show. The audience was very appreciative of a man who, after all, beat Brits Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton to the title. Vettel’s popularity transcends national boundaries, and he is quite simply a good guy. To put it into perspective, seven-time World Champion Schumacher has never been to the Autosport event, despite being invited every year...
Yesterday, Seb was in Delhi, India where he picked up the World Championship trophy for the second time at the FIA’s glitzy annual gala. Christian Horner was also there to pick up the constructors’ prize, along with Mark Webber, who took the third-place honors.
From there the trio dashed to Delhi airport to catch a red eye flight back to London for a special appointment Saturday. The streets of the sleepy town of Milton Keynes (home base to RBR) were closed this afternoon to allow Vettel and Webber to do a joint demonstration run. It was a chance to showcase the cars in front of the hundreds of factory employees who never get a chance to see them running on track, as well as thousands of fans who came from all over the UK to see the event.
It was the perfect way for team and driver to mark the end of a remarkable season. Attention now, of course, begins to turn to 2012. Can they do it again?
You’d be pretty brave to bet against it, for while McLaren and Ferrari will no doubt raise their games and push RBR even harder than this year, Adrian Newey is not going to drop the ball any time soon – even with new exhaust/diffuser rules adding an intriguing element to the mix. It’s a fresh start for everyone, but that’s the sort of thing that Newey relishes.
“It’s the same challenge as last year,” says team boss Horner of next season. “We know our rivals won’t stand still. I think what makes this title and retaining the title so special is the caliber of teams we’re up against is so high, so to have defended both titles in the fashion that we have, I think in all areas we have been a stronger team in 2011 than we were in 2010. I’m convinced that we can still improve. The team is hugely motivated. Of course, we don’t know what the other teams are doing.
“There’s reasonable continuity in the regulations, but nothing is assured, so we’ll just keep our heads down, keep working hard, and hopefully turn up with a competitive RB8 in Melbourne in spring next year.”
The 2011 season was a near faultless one for the team, and Horner points out that it was far better than the previous year, when team and drivers made mistakes. Lessons were learned.
“I think we defended the title better than we won it. I think the team in all areas has evolved, and of course all the areas you don’t see behind the scenes.
“We’ve had, bar the puncture or tire issue in Abu Dhabi, complete reliability this year, which is a phenomenal achievement. We’ve scored 650 points in the constructors’ championship, which is incredible. Hopefully, we can build on what we’ve achieved, and apply it into next year.
“We pushed up until the checkered flag in Brazil. There are lessons that we’ve learned that we’ll apply to next year’s car. As usual, Adrian’s never early with his designs, and that’s exactly the same situation that we’re in now, but I’m sure we’ll hopefully come out of the blocks well in 2012.”
It was good that Webber was part of Saturday's celebrations in Milton Keynes, and it wasn’t just a ‘Vettelfest.’ The Aussie has played an important role in building the team up, even if his 2011 season did not match anyone’s expectations – especially his own.
His victory in Brazil was a timely bonus, and while Vettel had to nurse his gearbox in that event, Mark did at least have to be there to be able to take full advantage.
“It’s great that Mark won a race,” says Horner. “I think it would have been very, very tough for him to have gone into the winter with Seb having won 11 races and Mark not having won a race. Arguably, one of the best races to win is the last race; it sets him up into the winter very nicely. He’s third in the championship. Hopefully, he will go away in the winter, have a bit of time off, and recharge his batteries, and I’m sure he’ll come back strong in 2012.
“Let’s not take anything from Sebastian though, because Sebastian’s been operating at such as high level this year; that’s what’s compounded the issue for Mark. He’s been up against a teammate in the most phenomenal form, operating at the most phenomenal high level.”
He was helped by a brilliant car and a team that gave him superb service, but the bottom line is that Vettel really was operating on a different level this year, especially in qualifying. It’s hard to believe that the guy is only 24 – and he can only get better. And that must be a little worrisome for the opposition.
Adam Cooper notched up his 26th season as a racing journalist in 2010. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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