I don't intend this article in a wummish way I consider Vettel one of the top 3 best drivers on the grid. But with usually 7.5+ tenths car advantage upto a second today it really is pretty much impossible for any other driver than Mark Webber to compete with him. So he will get the credit for beating (or should I say thrashing) Webber but maybe no so much the other drivers. Compared with a year like say 2007/8 when the Ferrari and McLaren were never more than around 2 tenths away from each other and varying which was faster several times through the season. Effectively giving 4 drivers a chance of the championship and a whole other team. Or a year like 1991, 2006 2009 where one car is fastest for one half of the season and the second best car overtakes them for the rest of the season and the drivers (still effectively 4 of them) fight a championship fight out of sync Vettels championships may seem to hold less value as his car is faster all season and certainly by more than 1 - 3 tenths so there is little competition and less pressure. In a similar way to Shumcaher 2002/2004??
meh it's how the cookie crumbles I'm afraid. Clark had it, Fangio had it, Senna had it, Nigel had it etc....they all had some advantage to get what they wanted. There's one thing getting a dominant car, the other thing is dominating with it.
It will hold less value than his 2010 title for me, but overall in 10 years most people will forget and just look at statistics.
So long as it is fair, any Championship is worth the same as any other. One should remember that car racing is ultimately a test of man and machine and that all else being equal, it is the best combination of these two elements which merits a World Champion.
Yes and no. No, because, as cosi says, "So long as it is fair, any Championship is worth the same as any other." Yes, because there's no apparent fight or struggle to succeed, no challenge. From the outside it just looks too easy and so it 'seems' unfair, even though it isn't. So right now I think it appears to hold less value for some F1 fans because we feel 'cheated' of a championship battle like we had last year.
It won't be devalued in the same way that some of Schumachers championships were, as despite having the dominant car he is receiving no help from his team-mate by way of favours in the race, undisputed no.1 status etc etc. He is just being devastating on the track.
Good points here Chris. Most of all, I think we should remember that we have just had the closest season in Grand Prix history and that we should bear in mind that this has raised the bar of expectation, perhaps somewhat unfairly.
Good points about time distortion. It appears to hold less value now because it looks so easy for him but in a decades time we will have forgotten the details and will just remember that he won the championships these years and his stats over them look supreme. There is certainly no question he is taking the chances with both hands and doing the job at hand.
sea_man! Haven't seen you in a while! Your last sentence is an excellent point. Whatever else is said about Vettel in years to come, few will argue that he didn't make the most of the opportunity given to him.
Vettel merely seems to have the best car - no help from stewards, FIA, etc etc. So, if he wins he wins DESERVEDLY. As opposed to other WDC who had help.
I totally agree with you both. Even though it might be said that Newey is the chef in Red Bull's best hotel, Vettel is grabbing everything he's given with both hands. (I must add that it is great to see two of the best forum contributors in the business in the same place again.)
yeah not been on in a while, Im mainly on Muzz still but pop in every now and again. Another good point bergkamp he is certainly doing it cleanly
Off-topic for a moment: So that place is still running is it sea-man?! One can only assume that the style of management must have changed for the better. It had some very good people and was only hindered by a lack of communication from one vitally important person. What's the general feeling over there about Vettel conquering 2011 so convincingly, so soon?
Every championship has equal value, but when you have a close championship you always have that extra bit respect for the winner because of the immense pressure they wouldve been under all throughout the season. To win that kind of championship is something special. Like Vettel last year for example.
I think the thread writer will forgive your going off topic Yeah its still going, had a serius dry patch of no one posting but its going good again now. Muzz is just an ordinary member now, BRG and silverfan are the admins with slyboogy, evilwhippet and the roadie as mods. Vettel winning each race is pretty much accepted although its still quite McLaren orientated - something I don't complain about lol
This a WDC like every other one, Vettel's got the fast car and he drove it to perfection, no crashes on race day, no slip ups during Quali. So while its hasnt been the most exciting championship, it would be highly unfair if or when Vettel wins to say he didnt deserve what he has achieved.
A title is a title is a title. That's what all the teams are fighting for. Many people still know about how dominant certain cars were, and the information is at our fingertips should anyone need to be reminded. What I don't understand is how the dominance of a car is surreptitiously transferred across to the driver sitting in the car. I still believe that most of the grid, were they lucky enough to sit in a Red Bull would be in exaclty the same situation as Vettel. This season is not a way to judge the worthiness of Vettel's title, because such is the dominance of Vettel's car that all he has to do is claim pole and then not crash during the race. If some people think that that is cause for high praise then that is up to them. It's nice to think that the only time this season he has really been under pressure on a track where you have good opportunities for overtaking Vettel cracked and made a mistake that lost him the win.
That is true Basil. Vettel's best strategy is therefore to get out ahead and stay clear of trouble. And it must be said he is fulfilling his remit very well.
Yes I think so too and I wonder whether the easy ride he's getting now, the lack of pressure, may impede his development in the long term.
Without wishing to sound patronising, i'm very proud of you lot. A good, balanced article, with good debate. I was reading the comments on the BBC benson blog, and, sheesh, i don't think i've seen so many people who don't quite understand the way the season is going. Despite 1 man dominating, this is easily the best season i've seen for years. 1 bad race out of 8 is much better than what we're used to. Even barcelona was good. If you read everything on there, you'd be fooled into thinking that this season is as exciting as watching paint dry. Back on topic, if Vettel is driving the best (and he is) he deserves the title. It's not his fault that the car is dominant, he's just doing his job.
