The Bold, The Brave, The Beautiful

The year, 1986

“Good morning, gentlemen. The temperature is 110 degrees.”

“Holy shit, it's Viper!”

“Great, he's probably saying, "Holy shit, it's Maverick and Goose."

Tom Cruise in the movie Top Gun played the role of a nonconformist, free spirit pilot. Such was his aura that his call-sign ‘Maverick’ became an instant hit with eccentric souls worldwide.

People wanted to dress like him. People wanted to walk like him. People wanted to talk like him. Heck people even wanted to cry like him. Girls loved him. Guys idolized him. He was probably the first man to defy the rules and follow something as ‘petty’ as his instincts. Atleast that’s what the world thought.

He wanted to be everywhere. He wanted to do everything. Best of all, he wanted to be seen doing it as well. His decisions irked people. His results pissed them further. But in the end it was his charismatic demeanor that made him stand tall. He wanted people to follow him. To be drawn to his persona.

The audacity of that guy!

The year, 1997

Max Verstappen is born.

The year, 2016

“Jesus Christ! And you think I’m reckless. When I fly, I’ll have you know that my crew and my plane come first.”

Verstappen seemed inconsolable following his team Toro Rosso’s decision to not let him pass teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. on the grid. ‘Strategic decision,’ they said. ‘Stifling character,’ they never said.

For someone who’s just 18 years old (2 of which have been in Formula 1), it was indeed unbelievable. Why wouldn’t they let him fly? Was it because of his age? Maybe! Was it because of his boldness? Let’s hope not. Or maybe it was because they wouldn’t let him have a driver’s license till last year.

It’s true. Max’s father had to drive him to work in a car just so that Max could race in one. Imagine a father driving his own son to a Grand Prix where he could race in a 300 kmph supersonic speed-craft so mercurial that one can experience the line where life meets death.

Seems twisted, doesn’t it? Not to the Verstappen household apparently.

Max Verstappen was taught how to drive before he could walk. His foot would fit an accelerator much better than it would fit into a new shoe. He could put a car into reverse in his sleep and his steering wheel maneuvering prowess would have saved the Titanic from those freaking icebergs.

But who cares about that anyway? Rules are rules, right?

A team is always supposed to favour their No. 1 driver. Schumacher over Barrichello, Alonso over Fisichella, Vettel over Webber, Hamilton over Rosb…. Ahem, excuse me!

Carlos Sainz Jr. is Toro Rosso’s No. 1 driver. He drives safe races. All energy and effort needs to be put in helping him thrive. Not only that, Sainz also outranks Verstappen. Not just in terms of age, but also in terms of “Dad Experience”. Sainz Sr. trumps Verstappen Sr. and therefore the same rule will be applicable to their sons as well.

Wait. No. That’s not right!

If anything Sainz Sr. never even drove in Formula 1. Verstappen Sr. on the other hand has 2 podium finishes. Also, did I write Sainz Jr. drives safe races before? That would have been an amazing asset had we been handing out trophies to just finish races.

While one can’t argue that Sainz Jr. is definitely more ‘safe’ when it comes redeeming those no claim bonuses on car insurance, Verstappen is subliminally more supreme in all senses. His driving is as serene as the clicking sound a seat belt makes when things fall into place.

It’s bold, it’s brave, it’s just that damn beautiful!

No offense to Sainz Jr., but when a team such as Toro Rosso, which seems to always be in the shadows of big brother Red Bull, is given minimal resources then one just does not have options other than firing all cylinders.

Case Point – United States Grand Prix 2015

“You’re everyone’s problem. That’s because every time you fly, you’re unsafe. I don’t like you because you’re dangerous.”

“That’s right, Iceman! I am dangerous.”

For those who are regulars on the circuit, it is a well-known fact that one just does not mess with Kimi Raikkonen. After all they call him the ‘Iceman’ for a reason. He is a stone cold driver and can scorch even a wet track beyond recognition. Everyone fears him. Everyone bows down to him. People assemble at his behest.

Everyone except Max Verstappen!

Verstappen, racing for the first time ever in Austin, seems cool. He’s calm, he’s composed, and he’s all over Raikkonen. For a circuit as erratic as the Circuit of the Americas Max has everything in control. Sushine? Check. Rain? Check. Pitstops? Check. Tyre management? Check. Fending the iceman? Check.

For the last 5 turns Kimi has put up failed attempts to overtake Verstappen. Kimi tries the outside route at turn 7. He knows that it’s a long shot. But he sees an opening. Max, however, is too fast to block him. Too fast for a minnow like Toro Rosso. Why doesn’t he fly like that all the time? How’s he doing that?

Turn 8 up next. This is it, thinks the Finn. He tries the inside route now. He implements a textbook maneuver to shove that pesky rookie off track. But Max won’t be shoved around. He might be a rookie, but he’s pulling off blinders on those hairpin turns. It’s as orgasmic as watching Kohli hit a cover drive.

Turn 9 sees Kimi make up some ground. He’s back on the outside though. A natural disadvantage for drivers. But not for him. He’s used to these situations. He’s the king afterall. These jesters stand no chance of withstanding the wrath, fury, and sorcery of the iceman. Something is up, it’s a trap!

For the next three turns Kimi stays on the outside. He’s not doing much it seems. He’s waiting for the 0.62-mile stretch between turns 11 and 12. This is more than just racing now. This is dogfighting at its best. Like a cheetah skillfully prowls in the bush waiting for its prey, Kimi has set Max up beautifully.

Time for DRS to do its thing. Zoom go the cars. Just a matter of time before the rookie is shown his rightful place. If this was some other driver, he would have stopped the car by now, turned off the engine, prepared a speech on Kimi’s greatness, and then probably retired from racing.

However, good ol’ Max had other plans.

He sees what’s happening. He’s on top of it. He read Kimi. He read the iceman. This isn’t natural. This is something new. Is this even possible? Three-fourths of the stretch and a full DRS later Kimi is still on Max’s tail. This is unconstitutional. This is tyranny. This is supersonic evasion. Why won’t he fly again?

“You were in a four G inverted dive with a MIG-28?”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“Lieutenant, what were you doing there?”

“Communicating. Keeping up the foreign relations. Giving him the bird.”

“So, you’re the one?”

“Yes Ma’am.”

If Max Verstappen’s repulse against former world champion Kimi Raikkonen was not a racing equivalent of showing him the finger then what happened a minute later at turn 12 definitely was. Kimi has had enough. He’s completely weathered. This is unchartered territory for him. It should be the other way.

He tries too hard to overtake and BOOM! Wheels bang, wings break, gravel flies, and Raikkonen finds himself beside a barricade. How did this happen? Well atleast it’s over. The dogfight has finally ended. There was no winner. There won’t be any awkward glances in the pits now. The pride is still intact.

If only!

Raikkonen looks up to steal a glimpse at Verstappen. It would be good to see the spoils of the enemy war craft. Only Max isn’t there. He’s nowhere. Nowhere in near sight. Wait, where is he again? He’s driving an impeccable race enroute to finishing fourth on the grid. World champions for breakfast!

‘Max’imum power, ‘Max’imum brutality!

The season-opening Australian Grand Prix too had its share of ‘maximum power’ moments. From ripping the qualifying session apart to stalling two-time defending world champion Lewis Hamilton during the main race. Max was everywhere. Max was what made sense.

Four laps to go in the first race of the season. Max is right on Sainz Jr.’s tail now. He’s burning more rubber every second than ever before. Maximum force, maximum power indeed. He’s on fire, atleast figuratively! Toro Rosso has been fitted with last year’s Ferrari engines. This is not the time to play it safe. This is not the time to go for that single point.

“Tower, this is Ghostrider. Requesting a fly-by.”

“Negative Ghostrider! The pattern is full.”

Sainz Jr. seems to be winning this war against Max without even participating in it. Verstappen can’t believe it. He knows he has a better chance than his teammate to overtake the Renault in front of them. But right now he’s been told to hold back his position.

Three laps left. Why wouldn’t they let him fly?

He’s spun. Max has just clipped Sainz Jr. on the back. Disaster has struck. The boss will be angry. Sainz Jr. races away. There’s no damage to his car. Max, on the other hand, has just effectuated a doughnut. Round and round and round he goes. Maximum power, maximum frustration, maximum doughnuts!

“I’m losing control. I can’t control it.”

“Mayday, Mayday!”

There we have it. That answers the question. He’s still too young. He’s still too immature. He should have just listened. He could have bagged an easy point. Now he’s losing seconds. Sainz Jr. has taken a 4-second lead over his teammate now. Make that 5 seconds. Now 6. There’s no coming back. Just two laps left and a healthy lead. Time to think of a good excuse and hit the showers a little early.

But wait a minute. What’s happening?

Who’s that behind Sainz Jr.? Surely it can’t be him. But it is. It’s him. He’s back. He’s flying. He’s reduced the lead back to 1 second. How is this happening? Is this for real? How could he have gained so much so soon? Maybe Sainz Jr. slowed down. Are we sure that his car wasn’t affected? No, his car escaped unscathed from that collision. The lead’s now less than 1 second. It’s the final lap. Can he? Will he?

“Damn, this kid is good..”

Sebastian Vettel – The ‘Contract’ Killer!

Contracts, Shmontracts!

That’s what Paula Malai Ali had to say when she was asked to give her views on Sebastian Vettel’s imminent move to Ferrari. Can’t blame her anger, can we? Come to think about it contracts in any sport mean nothing if the right ‘amount’ of money is involved. Contracts have become the allegory equivalent of Novy Kapadia’s football commentary. We know that it is there, but does it really make a difference?

Football sees players signing 5-year multi mega deals every season only to leave 6 months later. Kind of a bummer, isn’t it? I mean why go through all the trouble and spend all that money just to have someone sign something that means nothing if, and when, someone else lures the said someone away by means of showering something (moolah) at ease? The answer – things need to be professional.

Okay! I guess it makes sense to an extent. I mean it’s kind of like a binding obligation that people need to respect in order to function in a civilized manner. It’s kind of like you washing your hands after using the toilet. It’s not necessary, but it’s advisable. But then why leave room for loopholes? Why have release clauses, buy-back clauses and all types of god forsaken clauses that are firm to suck happiness?

The answer to that might lie in the egocentric need of every individual to gain what’s best of a situation. All it took was a meticulously inserted clause in a sheet of paper called a “contract” and Vettel had an out. For Red Bull’s interest, I hope they too had some kind of a ridiculously repugnant clause that would guarantee them some kind of solace as well. Wait a minute. Of course they had. It was money! Right?

Now while Vettel’s move to Ferrari has still not been ‘officially’ confirmed, I guess because the “contract” must not have been signed, it’s just a matter of time that it will be. But what needs to be emphasized and scrutinized in the interim is the reason why the 4-time Formula 1 world champion decided to call it quits with Red Bull and decide that he wanted to ruin my team Ferrari for me.

Vettel seems to be at his diplomatic best when he said that the reason behind his leaving was that he wanted to "do something else, something new". Those are his exact words by the way. When loosely translated into simple English it means, “Fuck you Red Bull you couldn’t help me win those record-equaling 5 straight world titles you promised and therefore I’m off to do the implausible elsewhere.”

Not that he’s going to have any luck with Ferrari either. The Italian team are struggling themselves and run the risk of finishing outside the top three in the constructors’ championship for the first time since 1993. The last time Ferrari had a driver’s champion was in 2007 when Kimi ‘the iceman’ Raikkonen won. Mercedes on the other hand seem to have sorted their car out well for 2015 and it does not look likely that Ferrari would be able to match their ERS capabilities and present Vettel with a title-winning car.

Hmm! Okay! So if Vettel is smart enough he would obviously know that he won’t be winning anything for at least one more season. Unless of course if Ferrari pull off a Brawn. In that case Ferrari with Raikkonen and Vettel would be the undisputed coequal of Liverpool fielding Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo together. Possible? All right! I got carried away there. But you get the gist of what I’m saying.

Coming back to the “something else, something new” expression, Vettel, who in exemplary fashion, has rewarded the team that made him what he is today ever since being spotted as a 12-year old nothing has failed to comprehend that no one is naive enough to fall for his jinky antics anymore. Especially not this late into the season.

What does “doing something else, something new” even mean? He got bored of racing with Red Bull? Or was it the fact that the shade of navy blue makes him look fat? Maybe red is the color for glory (ahem Liverpool). Tell me Seb! I’m dying to know what the phrase means. Because what I feel is that the one season that a rival teams literally blows the wind out of your sails you decide that you’ve had enough.

“It’s not a decision based on the current results, it’s more a voice inside me that kept growing and it’s a step that I’m very much looking forward to,” Vettel said.

Was that voice Daniel Ricciardo’s? Because to be overshadowed, by a newbie nonetheless, in stunning manner after exhibiting an aura of gnarly dominance would definitely be a hard bullet for Sebastian to swallow. A guy jumping from Torro Rosso and eclipsing a champion who has won the world title 4 times on the trot was an occurrence that none in the fraternity would have dared to call. Another year of such “debasing” and Vettel would have considered retirement.

So what was left to do? Move to a team that is synonymous with and is an epitome of Formula 1 at a time when it wants you more than you want it. Maybe that answers the “something else” part. I’m still having a hard time coming to terms with the “something new” part especially because Sebastian Vettel at 27 years of age seems to have done most of the things that any Formula 1 driver could dream of.

And as much as it hurts me to agree, he has been one helluva driver. People might say that Red Bull gave him a great car and that he was just a puppet in the cockpit following orders and being given the right instructions to do the right things at the right time, but in all fairness his records speak for themselves.

He was the youngest driver  to drive at a Grand Prix, the youngest Grand Prix pole position winner, the youngest Grand Prix winner, the youngest Formula One world champion, the youngest driver to bag a podium position, the youngest driver to score a grand slam (pole position, win, fastest lap, and led every lap) – which sadly was at the 2011 Indian Grand Prix – and many many more ‘young’ records.

In addition, Vettel currently holds the records for most championship points earned in a season, the most podium finishes in a season, the most starts from front row in a season, the most wins in a season, the most pole positions in a season, the most laps led in a season, the most consecutive wins, the most wins from pole position in a season and numerous other achievements.

Please note that I’ve left out most of his other records because it was kind of getting depressing, distressing, discouraging and dispiriting to write a note about his superiority and find out that he actually came quite close to becoming the greatest of all time. If only Mercedes had not decided that enough was enough and it’s time to “recover” some long-lost “energy”.

Hence, what I’ve understood from this is that the “something else, something new” a guy with Sebastian Vettel’s “always-wanting-to-win-and-sulking-when-losing façade” can do, with a team that has been struggling for the past seven years in a sport that it has made itself tantamount with, is -------------------------- Kill another “Contract”! J

When Coincidence Meets Controversy!

At a time when the whole world is struggling to come to terms with the fact that Roger Federer lost to Marin Cilic in straight sets at the US Open semifinal, I don’t know what is more distressing - the advertisement of that ludicrous Akshay Kumar show Dare 2 Dance or the fact that my channel is still airing a show called ‘Motorsports & Petronas’ that shows Mercedes teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton chatting around having gala time and playing like kids with remote-controlled racecars.

Agreed that the show was shot before the Belgian Grand Prix with an aim to target the lighter side of Formula 1, but it’s just downright disturbing to see two drivers faking out a friendship. Let’s not get things wrong, they were good friends in the past. But the key word to note in that previous sentence is ‘were’. The same is no longer true now and as a preacher since times immemorial of the certitude that F1 is not a team sport, I would like to take this opportunity to shout out loud and say “Ha! Told Ya So!”

The timeline, if one was to draft such a thing, of the rivalry between Hamilton and Rosberg clearly can be depicted with a downward slope graph on an x-y axis with the horizontal line representing “time” and the vertical line representing “trust”. And as an ardent Ferrari and Kimi Raikkonen fan I should be jubilant to see such a graph for a rival team. But unfortunately am not. Maybe it’s because I have developed a slight liking for Mercedes (Not because of their car; but because they finally broke Sebastian Vettel’s championship winning streak and halted Red Bull’s ridiculously boring dominance).

It all started at the Bahrain Grand Prix when a riveting duel saw Rosberg, though being on pole position, squander the summit to an over-aggressive and "out-of-line" Hamilton who piloted his Mercedes home with sheer brilliance and notch up his second win of the season.

Next up was Monaco where defending champion Rosberg brought Hamilton's 4-race winning streak to an end. Nothing wrong in that I suppose. Of course that is only if one is willing to naively overlook the Qualification botch where the German "conveniently" went off a corner in Q3 with less than 10 seconds left to force a yellow flag and disallow Hamilton's (who was faster till that point) time.

The Canadian Grand Prix saw both drivers, who despite being sternly warned by team officials, push each other to such an extent that Hamilton was forced to retire due to overheating brakes and Rosberg eventually ended up frittering the lead to Daniel Ricciardo as his Mercedes "ran out" of power.

The Hungarian Grand Prix, where Hamilton defied team orders and did not let Rosberg pass ahead, forced Mercedes to come out and announce that they’ll let both drivers loose for them to carry on with their ‘impending’ battle. Good job! Only the move came a Grand Prix too late guys.

The Belgian Grand Prix, where ‘point-proving’ Rosberg felt that sabotaging Hamilton was probably the best way to be taken seriously as a driver, forced the silver arrows to condemn the Monaco-born German driver and in an unprecedented move declare that a punishment was in order.

And finally the Italian Grand Prix, where Rosberg expediently overshot the same chicane twice (once in practice and once during the race) in order for Hamilton to snatch victory, made the team say it out loud that both drivers were in fact ‘like enemies’. Throw in an evil laugh there and we have a melodrama folks!

Okay! Am I the only one who on joining all the dots gets a rat?

Clearly this rivalry has now reached all together a whole different level, which is something that no one in the fraternity anticipated at the start. In a sport where, conventionally speaking, drivers in a team should be trusting each other blindly, the Mercedes duo are now in a position where they’ll have to double check their backs even in an 1-2 situation. I guess it was just a matter of time when deliberately driving into teammates at speeds in excess of 300 kilometers an hour for revenge would strategically be part of the package.

To top it all off, Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff recently went on record to state that it would have been next to impossible to execute the events of Monza deliberately suggesting that the claims of a conspiracy theory being in place to recompense Rosberg for Spa were completely baseless.

All right! Fair enough. But riddle me this, will you? Considering that there is no technical or mechanical reason behind it, how does one explain a driver as experienced as Rosberg overshooting a chicane not once but twice in a race that was as crucial (in terms of points) as Monza at a time when a ‘retribution’ was in order?

The answer from Wolff – “It’s bizarre!”

Well, it could indeed be a coincidence and maybe I’m just being too paranoid in imagining things. But let’s face it the sport is indeed more interesting this way (wink wink). Also, the reason why I’m not in any mood to sideline these events as “coincidence” is because it’s happened one too many times now and the timings of those events impeccably suggest a devious master plan in implementation.

Formula 1 has indeed witnessed its share of intra-team battles like Aryton Senna v Alain Prost, Fernando Alonso v Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel v Mark Webber in the past. But what makes this one so different and peevish at the same time is the ‘denial’ from all parties. Whether its Facebook posts that suggest all is well in the camp or Instagram pictures that show a friendly ‘photo-bomb’, every eventuality is marked with a tinge of suspicion and is followed by something that negates everything.

Hamilton’s emotional Facebook/Twitter picture in the aftermath of Monaco showing Rosberg and him during their go-karting days was swiftly followed by Hungary where unlike go-karting team orders and radio messages created havoc. The Mercedes tweet rendering an ‘all-is-hunki-dory’ image with a Hamilton photo-bomb preceded Canada where ironically Rosberg portrayed an ‘I won’t be intimidated’ image for himself. And of course Mercedes’ detailed explanation that everything was under ‘control’ happened just before Italy.

Needless to say the person who seems to be most affected by all the happenings is Nico Rosberg. Not only does he have the ‘rich boy’ image going against him, he also has to compete against an aura as radiant as Lewis Hamilton’s. Truly it’s the fans that make or break an F1 driver and everyone knows who everyone supports because without doubt if compared Hamilton is the more talented among the two.

And if one was to read the signs as given by Rosberg, one would have no doubts in deciphering that even Rosberg knows who the better driver is. If you don’t believe me just shoot back to May and relive the Monaco Grand Prix qualification fiasco. Ahem! Another coincidence, right!? Of course!

All in all keeping aside all the controversies and the dissensions, the thing that is keeping Mercedes so neurotically calm and composed in this whole affair is that they’re facing no major threats, as of yet, to the constructors’ championship. They can afford the “egocentric” luxury to have the drivers have a go at it as long as the team points keep coming in.

It would have been interesting to see whether such attitude would have been in place had Hungary, Belgium and Italy been the first three races of the season or if all three races would have witnessed both drivers retiring without scoring points.

However, that coincidence would have been too much to ask for a F1 enthusiast!

Is Sebastian Vettel really the greatest ever?

Let's be honest, shall we? As much as I hate to admit it, I know that I have to come to the disconcerting “fact” that Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel might actually be the greatest Formula One driver of all time. I’ve come to this “enlightenment” because of the recent events that have taken place in the racing scenario.

Of the last six races, Vettel has won five with four of them being on the trot. A win in the next race (Japanese Grand Prix) would actually just roll the carpet for the German to be crowned the youngest ever quadruple world champion when the Indian Grand Prix takes place on October 27th. And how ironical it would be if India is “chosen” as the country where Vettel achieves this “dreaded” achievement.

For those of you who’re confused right now as to what blasphemous connection I’m trying to make between India and Vettel, don’t worry. I’ll explain. Remember a driver called Narain Karthikeyan? The person who was called the ‘fastest Indian in the world’? Well, believe it or not he actually got the opportunity to drive in Formula One for 3 years. Shocked? Don’t be. That’s what the world thinks you know. The world thinks that Indians aren’t capable of doing anything else except feeding cows and spreading corruption.

Being a little cynical, am I? Well not exactly. I’m pretty sure that Sebastian Vettel thought (and thinks) the same way about Indians as well. There was this incident involving him and Karthikeyan that was the onset of my hatred towards Vettel. Vettel called Karthikeyan an “idiot” and flicked him off on Live TV in front of the whole world just because the “Indian” did not let him pass through on a blue flag.

It was totally uncalled for. Vettel fans called it his “immaturity”. Others called the incident “heat of the moment”. Whatever! It really incepted this bad emotion within me regarding Vettel. So, that is why it would be really ironical if India gets to be the country where Vettel is crowned world champion for the fourth consecutive year.

Getty Photo

Anyway, coming back to the trepidatory fact that Vettel might actually be the greatest F1 driver in history, let’s look at a few specifics. Sebastian Vettel, the child prodigy as some called him when he was making his name in the Formula 3 World Series, has probably broken all the “young” records that there are to be broken.

He was the youngest driver to have taken part in an official practice session, the youngest to have scored championship points, the youngest to lead a race, the youngest to secure pole position, the youngest driver to set the fastest lap time during a race, the youngest to get a podium position, and of course the youngest to have won a race. And if that was not all, he’s the youngest single world champion. Scratch That. He’s the youngest double world champion. Oh Damn! Scratch that as well. He’s the youngest triple world champion in the history of the sport.

Those kinds of facts are really hard to argue and mess with. I mean come on. The man has broken almost every possible record there is in the books. And if he has not, then he definitely has his sights set on them. It is this intent to win at any cost by compromising one’s ethics and ideologies that makes Vettel who he is.

We all know the ignominy that happened between Vettel and his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber at the Australian Grand Prix earlier this year. Which is why some freaks like me might hate Vettel’s guts, but that does not change the ugly truth – Sebastian Vettel gets the “W” when it matters the most.

Of the 115 race entries that Sebastian Vettel has in his career, he has won 34 races that takes his win percentage to 29.56%. When compared to the legendary Michael Schumacher’s 308 entries to 91 wins data, Vettel pips the German marvel because Schumi’s win percentage came to 29.55%. On the other hand, in the total poles won category, of 115 entries Vettel has 42 pole positions as compared to Schumi’s 308-68 data. That takes Vettel’s success percentage to 36.52% as compared to Schumi’s 22.08%.

However, there is a reason why Michael Schumacher is probably the only “legend” that Formula One will ever see. One of those is the stupendous record that Schumi holds where he has the most consecutive wins from the first race of a season. Schumi won the first 5 races of a new season in 2004 when he won from the Australian Grand Prix till the Spanish Grand Prix.

Schumi also comprehensively holds the astounding record of the most wins at the same Grand Prix. He has 8 wins at the French Grand Prix, 7 at the Canadian Grand Prix and the San Marino Grand Prix, and 6 at almost every other Grand Prix there is in the world. Hard to fight with those kind of records right?

But there was something that happened at the recently concluded Singapore Grand Prix that really blew my mind away. Something, which when looked into in detail, really brought forward the veracity of how talented and dominating Sebastian Vettel really is. Not only did the Red Bull driver win at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore, he did with a tinge of superiority - the magnitude of which was staggering.

Vettel led from start to end and the manner in which he kept gaining speed and increasing the gap between him and the “second best” was indeed breathtaking and was definitely something that even the great Schumacher never did. Vettel was 1.9 seconds clear after the first lap, 4.2 seconds clear after the second lap and by the time he reached lap 43 he was 30.6 seconds clear off the closest compatriot behind him.

Vettel won the Singapore Grand Prix by over 32 seconds. Believe me, 32 seconds is like an eternity in Formula One. Not only is such a dictating performance highly uncommon; but considering the fact that it was done right after the safety car was withdrawn, on a circuit that has not been incident free since its inauguration, is truly commendable.

Vettel, at present, has 3 Formula One driver’s world championships to his name. It can, and probably will, be 4 by the end of this season. Schumi has 7 in total. Vettel is 26 years old right now and can easily get 3 more till the time he is 30. Not only that, Schumi has the record for the most consecutive Formula One driver’s world championship titles at 5. So, with the kind of predominating form that Vettel is in right now, the German has a very good possibility to break that record as well when he races next year and the year after that.

Vettel’s achievements speak for themselves. I’m no one to question his capability. His caliber and aura speak volumes when it comes to fighting his case of earning respect. He has the talent, he has the skill, and “best” of all he has the technology in Red Bull to help him achieve his dream of becoming the greatest of all time. The only question that remains though is…

Does he already think that he is?