It is staggering to think that just eighteen months ago,
Sebastian Vettel had never even led the Formula One world
championship. Today, the twenty-four year old is entering the new
season in the hope of winning a third consecutive title, a feat
only ever achieved by two true giants of the sport: Juan Manuel
Fangio and Michael Schumacher. The question is, with such a long
career surely still to run, can Vettel outshine his legendary
predecessors?
Statistically, he surely stands a chance. After just four full
seasons in the sport, he has two world championships. He is the
youngest man ever to take a pole position, take a win and take the
title. He now has thirty pole positions from eighty one attempts,
putting him a strong sixth on the all time list. He has twenty one
victories, placing him twelfth of all time. All this in a
staggeringly short amount of time. It is both difficult and
frightening to realise that this man's career is still in its
infancy - the best is surely yet to come.
The likeable German admits that unlike many of his competitors,
he wants every record in the book: titles, wins, poles and fastest
laps. Imagine if he were to race on to the age of 43, the age his
childhood hero Michael Schumacher will be when he takes to the grid
for the Australian Grand Prix in just a couple of months. The
thought of Vettel competing in Formula One in 2030 is sure to put
Martin Whitmarsh off his Cornflakes - as would the premise than
average of four or five wins per year (and he took eleven in 2011)
would make him the first man to reach the landmark one hundred win
milestone. Such a situation is as hypothetical as it is unlikely,
but should a further nineteen seasons be in order who would bet
against the German taking the six titles needed to overhaul Schumi,
who's seven titles suddenly look rather vulnerable.
The numbers then, should Sebastian be blessed with the
motivation, longevity and machinery, are within reach. But would
becoming the greatest by numbers be enough to place him ahead of
the likes of Senna and Clark in the hearts and minds of the fans?
For some, this would undoubtedly be the case. But others would
argue that those fallen stars had to deal with the spectre of death
at every turn, with cars that acted of their own accord and
team-mates who posed a far stiffer challenge than the stubborn
Aussie sitting on the other side of the Red Bull garage. Then
there's the manner by which Vettel wins: rarely is there drama,
just an exercise in start to finish control. Vettel, like
Schumacher, is a strategically genius. Other claimants could
justifiably claim to be racers, rather than machines.
That's a different matter. Senna has millions of dedicated fans
who insist that his staggering talent and incredible attitude,
coupled with the unfinished nature of his career, make him
untouchable. To them, even daring to mention Vettel in the same
sentence is blasphemy. Different eras, attitudes and approaches
make direct comparison more than difficult.
At the end of the day, the story of Sebastian Vettel remains
largely unwritten. It is up to him to etch his name more firmly
still in the history books - he has the unique chance to become
technically, if not genuinely, the greatest racing driver the world
has ever known. But then, he may never win another race. In Formula
One, only a fool makes solid predictions. However, we can say this
with some certainty: if the fledgling years of Sebastian Vettel's
career are indicative of what will follow, then one day the Red
Bull star will be in hugely distinguished company.