Can Sebastian Vettel ensure the 2013 Formula One championship title on the Indian soil? Motorsports fans from across the country will eagerly await the coronation of Vettel at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida. If it happens, then the 26-year-old German will be the first man to clinch the F1 crown in India. Seating atop a heap of records, Vettel would love to carry on his honeymoon with the BIC as he would also become the first driver to make three-in-a-row at the Indian circuit.
Vettel has always loved India for the simple and contented life of its people. Hailing from a developed European country, his observation was fascinating. “It is a big country, a lot of people, but sometimes it looks very different,” Vettel had noted on his first visit to the country for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix in 2011. “They get along with it and they are very happy here. They enjoy life and in the end, that’s what it is all about. If your life comes to an end, it is more the thoughts, the emotions, the friends, the friendships you take with you rather than whatever you have in your bank account. Even (if) the people have so little here, I think in a way they are much richer than a lot of people back in Europe. There is a lot we can learn.”
On the track, Vettel, according to whom one needs to have good driving instinct to succeed at the BIC, was at his fiercest best though as he won the first two editions of the Indian GP. His killer instinct for winning is unmatched and that has made him an undisputable champion. The best example of this was the incident involving him and team mate Mark Webber in the Malaysian Grand Prix earlier this year. Vettel ignored team orders to overtake Webber for the win. Even though he apologised first, but said later that he would do it again if the situation arose.
The Indian GP can lead to a spate of records for Vettel, who has emerged victorious in the last five races and invited boos from the spectators for making Formula One a monotonous affair. If he bags his fourth championship crown, then he will become only the third driver ever to do so after five-time world champion Argentinean great Juan Manuel Fangio and German legend Michael Schumacher. However, at 26, Vettel will be the youngest man to achieve the feat. Besides, he will be the first to win his first four races in succession.
Two other prominent records may also come Vettel’s way. If he wins the remaining four races of the year, he can equal his idol Schumacher’s record of 13 wins in a season. He will also match a longstanding record, set by Ferrari legend Alberto Ascari in the 1950s, of tasting victory in nine consecutive races. A champion that he is, Vettel deserves every record that lies in front of him.
(The Formula One event at the Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida, is on October 28.)
