Swimming against the tide of popular opinion as is so often his wont Bernie Ecclestone has pronounced that Sebastian Vettel's crushing dominance in F1 2011 to-date is 'what makes it so interesting for the fans' and muses that there is no reason 'why there shouldn't be a Red Bull era' in much the same manner as that of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari.As the sport's defending world champion, Vettel has been in imperious form this season, triumphing in six of the eight grands prix thus far and taking the chequered flag as runner-up in the other two, to establish a commanding 77-point advantage over any of his pursuers in the title standings.
To put that into perspective, even if either McLaren-Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton or Ferrari's Fernando Alonso won every single one of the remaining races in 2011, finishing second in each of them would still be sufficient for Vettel to comfortably clinch the crown. Little wonder Ecclestone rates him as 'the best'.
“You can't hide talent,” the sport's influential commercial rights-holder told the official F1 website. “He has an absolute will to win – and he has everything in his hands to do it. Probably others don't have the package that Sebastian has right now.
“He is in a similar position as Michael [Schumacher]. Sebastian is the best right now, and that's why he is dominating. That's what makes it so interesting for the fans, because every race weekend starts with a big question mark – who will be able to beat Vettel? That's why fans tune in.
“The competition Sebastian is facing is much bigger than that confronted by Michael, though. That makes Seb's wins even more noteworthy. I don't see a reason why there shouldn't be a Red Bull era just as Ferrari had theirs with Michael. He reminds me of Jochen Rindt – Seb will always stay grounded, no matter how big the success. That is what makes real champions. That was also Jochen's strength. Plus, both are lousy losers…”
Indeed, it is not only Vettel's on-track prowess that impresses Ecclestone, with the Formula One Management (FOM) chief executive waxing lyrical about the young German's manner away from the circuit, reasoning that – unlike some of his rivals – the way he behaves is 'how I expect a champion to be'.
“I don't like that some of the drivers are completely under the thumb of their teams and sponsors,” reflected the 80-year-old, who presented Vettel with a silver telegram and a ruler engraved with the names of all of the sport's world champions – as is tradition – in Abu Dhabi last November. “With Sebastian it is different. He is still his own master, which is obviously also because Red Bull and Didi Mateschitz allow it.
“Every F1 driver – and especially the champion – owes his success, his money and his popularity to the sport. That is why he ought to give something back – to be open and accessible. That's why I complained about Fernando Alonso, who in my view didn't represent F1 well enough.”
Vettel, by contrast, is in Ecclestone's eyes the sport's perfect ambassador, and the 23-year-old reveals that the man who rules F1 with an iron fist 'welcomed me with open arms and respected me from the very first moment' that he joined the grand prix grid in mid-2007 and 'offered to come to him whenever I felt I was having a problem', leaving him 'almost speechless' – and, in more familiar style, 'when I got my super-licence in Istanbul, he came up to me saying, 'don't mess it up, boy!''
“F1 is the highest level on which I can prove to myself and to others how good I am,” he explained. “I enjoy that challenge – and people admire me for it. I feel hugely privileged, so I believe that after what the sport gives me, I ought to give back.
“With all the glamour that surrounds us, some seem to forget what we are here for. I try to keep my feet on the ground. I don't feel any 'bigger' than my friends from schooldays. I would say I am only privileged in one thing, and that's that I've found something in life that gives me a great deal of satisfaction. Based on that view, I probably would even pay to drive an F1 car! If I didn't love what I do, I probably wouldn't be so successful; money was never a motivator for me.
“On the Abu Dhabi podium, I felt somewhat empty and lost. I hadn't really realised what had just happened. It was a dream come true to test an F1 car, then the dream got bigger when I was driving one and making it onto the podium and winning a race, so when the title was mine it was almost a bit too much for me – but instinctively I knew that it was very addictive, that I wanted more of the same!”
Ecclestone insists Vettel 'must not worry about anybody as [his] team-mate' – even though much of the F1 paddock seems to be presently preoccupied with the topic – and the 16-time grand prix-winner agrees that he is not losing any sleep over the matter, and also reasserts that despite speculation linking him elsewhere in the future, for the time being he is more than content right where he is.
“In the end, I don't waste too many thoughts on who is my team-mate,” he underlined. “I want to be the best so I have to beat them all, with the same car or any other. I would never ask my team to get me a team-mate to my liking, but I expect two things from whoever has the second cockpit honesty and respect.
“To win races is not easy, to win championships even less so – at whatever team. I feel completely happy at Red Bull. Of course Ferrari and Mercedes do come with a huge legend, but I am not into myth right now. What's important for me is that when I come from the track and look in the mirror in my hotel room, I want to be able to say, 'yes, that's me and I am satisfied with what I see'. After Abu Dhabi, it feels good to know that I don't have anything to prove to myself anymore.”
Source: Crash.net
