Vettel finds how Mark felt in past seasons

[John S]

“There wasn’t supposed to be difference between both cars" he simpers. 
Let's hope the rough luck has transferred to the other side of the Red Bull garage for the whole season.   

Compounding the woe for Vettel was being heavily upstaged his new team-mate and home-town hero, Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian recorded his first career front-row qualification – a position on the grid where Vettel might have expected to be.

“There wasn’t supposed to be a difference between both cars.

“Obviously we tried to run the best we have for both cars but for some reason today it wasn’t so happy on my side. Fortunately it worked for him, so at least we have one car where it belongs.”

Part of a longer article by Jacob Polychronis, f1plus.com, Today.

[lkjohnson1950]

We can hope. Vettel could use a large helping of humble pie.

[Scott]

In all his quotes so far, I haven't yet heard him congratulate Daniel for finishing P2...doesn't sound like he's had a nibble yet. 

[vintly]

In his interview within minutes of pitting and becoming a DNF he said he hoped Ricciardo would put the Red Bull up there where it belongs. Of course he's p*ssed off that his race went wrong, but take it at face value - there wasn't supposed to be a difference between the cars. Is that a petulant snipe? Or just a fact? Is he whining, or just reporting?

It's funny how so many people hang on to their belief that Vettel is a bad apple, and twist what he says to mirror that. Curiously enough, the pundits and press in the pit lane, who know him better, say the opposite.

Each to their own.

[Scott]

Ah Vettel, we love to poke him when he's down.  Then again, we love to poke him when he's up.  He's just so rarely down, it makes it that much more fun. 

Vettel should take some of his down-home friendliness and humour he shows in off track interviews (Top Gear for example) and bring it around to the paddock, or when he's in the presence of say, his teammate.  Maybe he's a super amazing guy off camera, but you think he would learn to be more so on-camera.  He would endear himself much more to people like me who can't stand him thanks to the way Mark was treated.

We'll see how Daniel will be treated.  Maybe it'll be buddy-buddy or at least friendly respect, but I just doubt it.  Until then, I'm looking for anything to bolster my skeptical opinion.   

[J.Clark]

. . . Is that a petulant snipe? Or just a fact? Is he whining, or just reporting?

It's funny how so many people hang on to their belief that Vettel is a bad apple, and twist what he says to mirror that. Curiously enough, the pundits and press in the pit lane, who know him better, say the opposite.

Each to their own.

Well, I understand being competitive and all that and how perhaps when one is a bit testy over something that it may be difficult to applaud the good fortune of another, even a teammate.  I also remember how he disobeyed team orders, without consequence by-the-way, to go on and win a race that was easily his teammate's race to win - a teammate he caught up with ONLY because said teammate was following team orders.  He would have easily won the WDC coming in P2 behind Mark.  He would have won the WDC had he DNF'd that race.

I think he has sort of tossed the binky out of the pram.

[vintly]

Still peeved at Malaysia, along with millions of others.

I admit my bias towards Vettel helps fuel this response, but it's not just preference for a person - I'm trying to point out a phenomenon that seems to be happening on F1 forums everywhere.

Fair enough, Vettel's actions in Malaysia were well out of order, and exacerbated by two things in my view - one being Vettel's disdainful 'Get him out of the way' radio message, and the other being his resolute and disarmingly stubborn press conference quote where he said something like 'We were racing, I was quicker, I won, that's it.' These two things, together with the actual disobeying of orders and overtake, add up to something much bigger than just the on-track situation, that people love to hate, which of course is their very right.

My point is this - what ELSE can be directly attributed to Vettel to add to this negative view of him? I can't think of one thing. Comments by the team are attributed to Vettel 'moaning'. Simple reporting is twisted to 'simpering'. It's relentless, and I'm sorry to say, but rather childish. I don't have a problem with people being happy over someone's misfortune, that's just good-natured partisan behaviour. But twisting words and making things up to help bolster a view of someone that helps promote that behaviour is wrong.

I said at the time that the Malaysia issue was exaggerated by everyone's view of Mark Webber - the archetypal 'good bloke' who we can all rely on to be an absolute gentleman and fine upstanding pillar of the F1 community. All true in my view, but it also provided more fury for the Vettel-hater brigade. If Vettel's team-mate had been someone less well-liked, the resulting furore would have been much smaller - without any change to Vettel's actions on-track or in subsequent press conferences. And after Malaysia, the Marko / Red Bull bias towards Vettel didn't help people dislike him any less - again, nothing to do with Vettel's actions.

It's quite possible that I've opened myself up to endless jibes about this, and I welcome them wholeheartedly! Just don't misquote me.

[Scott]

Gives us something to do between races 

Though I would add it wasn't just the instances you mention, it was also the continuous foul faces Vettel showed towards Mark, even when he won almost every race towards the end of the season, the still continuous treatment he gave Mark, even when the championship was locked up, Mark had indicated his intention to retire.  A bigger man would have swept away the past and (at least on camera) promoted a friendly banter and body language towards his outgoing teammate.  Not Vettel, he couldn't wait for Mark to leave. 

Just hope he doesn't behave that way this season.

[vintly]

The Webber-Vettel relationship was strained well before Malaysia as we know, and after that incident it only got worse. Their body language when together on screen was very similar. Simply put they ignored each other, as they clearly didn't get on. I think it's fair to say that Webber couldn't wait for himself to leave either. Vettel putting on a show of false friendship for the cameras would have been seen for what it was - fake. And Mark would have known that better than anyone. That's part of the reason I like Vettel, he's honest. That's more than can be said for certain others.

Brutal honesty is one of the reasons people like Raikonnen. Just goes to show how we bend reality to suit our needs. I did it with Schumacher - nearly every time he spoke I thought he was being insincere and fake because I disliked his on and off-track behaviour - but I freely admit it.

Anyway, I too hope his behaviour this year leaves people with a better impression, but Malaysia will never be forgotten, us nerds have too god a memory for that.

[lkjohnson1950]

There was also the incident in Turkey; Vettel tried a passing move for which Mark left just enough room, then Vettel moved over. When they touched Vettel crashed out, then made a gesture indicating Mark was crazy and it was his fault. There are also at least 2 occasions when Vettel did not have the fastest car, and screamed at his crew "Do Something" because he was being harried or passed. What did he think, they were just sitting back and enjoying his predicament? He has just displayed selfish and immature behavior beyond the norm on numerous occasions and the fans will call him on it.

[Scott]

Absolutely Lonny.  I became a non-Vettel fan the minute he twirled his finger indicating someone besides himself was responsible for that crash in Turkey.  Turkey is the incident that will never be forgotten.  The rest just solidified it for me.  In fact regarding the Malaysia incident, I have more against RBR than Vettel.  They should have disciplined Vettel for that one, at the very least a public tongue lashing, and keep in mind that Vettel has never apologized publicly to Mark other than to say he regrets doing it, but only ever apologized to the team.

It's not just a net phenomenon that so many people dislike Vettel simply because they don't know him.  They don't like him because there are some things not to like.  I can understand why you are a fan of Vettel's, but you must understand why some of us (many?) are not.

As for Kimi, I am not a fan because of his honesty.  I'm a fan because when he is on, he is on in a way very few drivers have been.  He finds places to pass that have never been thought of.  The fact that he is a man of few (though I would say well chosen) words is just an added bonus.

[vintly]

I understand why people aren't fans of Vettel's of course, and OK I accept there are other precedents than Malaysia for this. I'd just rather people didn't manipulate quotes.

I maintain however that the perception of Vettel from an insider's view (photographers, pundits, reporters) is different from your average fan. Ie: he is well-liked in the paddock.

[John S]

Hell even in the race just run in Oz Seb was bleating on the radio, "I've got no power - do something!"   

Now maybe it's just because he's speaking in his 2nd language his choice of words is bad, mind you I don't think so - the rest of the grid manage to convey messages about such problems without sounding like a petulant child expecting a parent to perform an impossible miracle.                                   
..................Unless of course RBR have the ability to change settings during the race on the car through an encrypted digital radio channel, -- nah, they wouldn't try anything like that now would they.   

     

[cosworth151]

I was a huge Vettel fan up until Sepang last season. I didn't hold the Turkey incident against him. He'd just climbed out of a race car and the red mist was still up.

Still, I don't think he did anything out of line this race.

[Irisado]

I just smiled at his misfortune.  His comments on the radio betrayed his personality.  He's still very immature in my opinion.  Quite what he expected the team to do is beyond me, cast a magic spell to make his car work properly?  Who knows.

Either way, when he stopped early, I had an immense sense of poetic justice.  Eventually, the tide turns, and I have a feeling that this year might be when it turns against Vettel.  He has had it so good for so long, and had a number of helpings of luck along the way.  Let's see how he copes with a bit of adversity.  My guess is not very well.  Let's see if he can prove me wrong.