â¦I can't see people like vettel lasting that long. That's the problem with modern f1 drivers. They enter the sport at a very young age, and peak far too soon, and then flounder in mediocrity for the rest of their careers.
Hmm⦠I beg to differ on this.
All people are individuals and their achievements are the result of individual mind-sets.
Of all the current contenders, Vettel has his head in the best possible place. He currently has the best mind-set for the long-term, unless Hamilton can turn his head back into the right place (very questionable at the time of writing) and get a car which is properly competitive for a season. This aspect of the car is also Vettel's domain of course, adding considerably to his near-perfect state of mind.
There are very few sports personalities who have the where-with-all to fully appreciate and reflect upon the process and meaning of achievement at the same time that it is being done! Vettel has this capacity as much as I've ever seen in another racing driver. Such sure-footedness of the mind is rare in the extreme and is the very thing lacking in so many other examples of extreme talent. For example, I believe Lewis Hamilton can in some ways be compared to the snooker player: Ronnie O'Sullivan. By contrast; like Vettel, Valentino Rossi does not experience the demons which can so easily undermine achievement.
Having said all this, I very much hope that Vettel will not get it all his own way, even though I would applaud anyone who overhauled Schumacher's distorted statistics. Such domination does little to add to one's enjoyment of the spectacle.