Sebastian Vettel showed yesterday that he has the whole package at his disposal in terms of car performance, raw speed, tyre saving quality, composure, and consistency. He is only 25 for goodness sake, and has 28 wins out of 105 races. 3 world titles in a team that doesn't look like it has approached it's peak at all. Yesterday he pulled a huge gap reminiscent of his 2011 season relative to the other drivers, gained a 10 point gap to his potential 4th title and it sent shivers down my spine. Was it just the car suiting the track? I seriously think not. There are many factors which need to be considered in order to predict whether his success will dominate for many a year. - Adrian Newey OBE - A master in terms of engineering has really made his mark on the Milton Keynes based team, some say that he really has had a part to play in their success which is undoubted. - Tyres - Redbull seem to have mastered any variation in tyre compound in most temperature scenarios, the team are either in for solid points, or going for the race win, no matter the tyre. - Teammate - This is the factor most in question, Mark Webber seems to be a soft teammate for Vettel, and has unquestionably been an aid when called upon. (But will this be the game changer in 2014)? - Team in General - The whole team seems to gel together very healthily - With the exception of Mark Webber/Helmut. - Engine - Some say that the new v6 turbo Engines will change racing and shake up the grid, but in what way would that make RB slower or hamper them? This begs the question, will Sebastian go on dominating like he is (much like his idol Michael Schumacher)? If so how many titles will this lad gain? - Because in my opinion, his rivals at the moment have no chance.
Hopefully the major rule changes next year will mix the field up a bit. Newey doesnt get a rule change right first time, so there is hope for the others that RBR may take a while to perfect the changes. What is a concern for this year is that RBR don;t seem to be that slow in a straightline, which was always their handicap in previous seasons.
As much as I'm getting fed up with Vettel and Red Bull winning, it's up to the others to beat them. Next year looks interesting.
This. I do think we should be more aware that this is driver and team performing in concert and there are also the rumours of Vettel moving to Ferrari and/or Kimi going to Red Bull. Either or both of these could shake things up, not just next year's rule changes.
I hope someone else can win the title because otherwise I can see people switching off. Eras of dominance aren't fun for the casual fan.
Exactly, the casual fan will walk away, the die hards (if not Vettel fans) will not like it and not be as committed either.. I love F1 but the Schumi/Ferrari years of 2000-2004 were dire bore-fests (Schumi fans excluded!)
I think it's impossible to tell right now, we don't know which team will be strongest next year and we don't even know which one Vettel will be at. I voted four, I think Vettel will win this season but not next, and I can't see him having a five season streak in the future. Do the people voting 6, 7 or more realise it says consecutive titles by the way? I'd probably guess at 8 or 9 in total. I don't think it really matters as long as the season's exciting, if the title goes to the wire again people will tune in. Even if people do walk away from the sport, it should help the BBC get full coverage back from Sky, whose ratings are already terrible.
To be fair I would change my vote to 4, I think he might moves teams in 2014 and will have a tougher challenge in a new environment.
I don't think he'll win this year, I think he'll be a 6 time world champ in his career overall, the next 7 or 8 titles will just go to either Hamilton, Raikkonen, Alonso or himself. And there all world class drivers with very strong teams
Ah, no. In terms of total titles though, I think the myth of it all being down to the car is beginning to disappear. The overtaking slur has been quashed, and I think people are beginning to appreciate he's outright fast himself now, certainly within the paddock. If Red Bull don't produce a good enough car in 2014, he'll be in pole position to move to the best team on the grid, I'm thinking perhaps Merc or Ferrari right now.
No option for 3? He hasn't won this years yet you know but yeah i don't think it's over yet. I went for 5.
It's hard to see the cycle breaking... He seems to have everything on his side. Great team, great luck, bags and bags of talent and unwavering desire to win. Unless his luck suddenly runs out (which I doubt) then I think he's going to walk his 4th title. His win in Bahrain was supreme, nobody was even close to him and it felt like he still had plenty in reserve should anybody have attempted to challenge him. Quite scary. I just hope that as he matures (gets older) that he's able to be a little more sincere. I'm not 100% sure we see the true face of Vettel, I think he tries to put on a front from time to time, be it the sweary side or the nice guy side. I'd like to see the real Vettel... It might actually make him even more formidable. There's no doubt that he's going to go down in history of one of the all-time greats, there's no two ways about it... The only question is, how immense will his stats be by the time he's done? Even with rule changes, he could dominate for many years.
I don't get why people think he will move teams, Adrian Newey keeps giving him championships on a plate, he's not about to walk away from that.
This. I think we will see the real Vettel when times are tough for him, the same as Schumacher at Mercedes. Three people think Vettel will go on to win 4 more titles in a row please log in to view this image
Thing is, we all know Newey is king of the aero, but are Renault/Infiniti king of the engines? Mercedes and Ferrari will both undoubtedly be strong in that department, so will they be sufficiently stronger in that area to recoup any aero losses to Red Bull?
