Vettel's Driving Standards. What do you think?

[Roths]

Today was yet another example of Seb Vet getting things wrong. I have watched all this season how he has barged people off the track and like today, has destroyed people's races. Is it time for the FIA to pull him aside and say "look, calm it down"

I feel he is becoming a bit of a liability on the track but am interested to see what you guys think. Is he dangerous or just unlucky??

[Paarma]

He is very young and rated very highly. The pressure must be pretty high. I think he is just trying very hard, a bit too hard. And he has paid the price with the points he has lost during the season. I wouldn't go as far as to say he is a liability. I mean we can expect a few collisions during a F1 season.

[JamesH]

Weirdly, as A Button supporter, I thought Vettel was a bit unlucky to punt JB out. Pulled out a bit too violently I suppose, but was caught out by the rain, big tank slapper, thud. Accidental, should have been more gentle, and a bit unlucky.

He does seem a little too aggressive at times though, when it isn't really necessary. Needs to take a chill pill - the same one LH has taken this year would do.

[NaBUru38]

1987: Vettel was born
2003: Formula BMW ADAC (2nd)
2004: Formula BMW ADAC (1st)
2005: F3 Euroseries (5th), 3rd at Macau
2006: F3 Euroseries (2nd), 6th at Macau
2007: FR 3.5 (5th with just 7 / 17 races), F1 (8th in debut at Indianapolis with BMW Sauber, 4th at China with Toro Rosso)
2008: F1 (8th at Toro Rosso)
2009: F1 (2nd at Red Bull)
2010: F1 (currently 3rd at Red Bull)

His career is certainly impressive. But when you jump to F1 with just ten races above F3 level, it's not surprising that he's still lacking in some aspects. Drivers need at least three full seasons in GP3 / FR 3.5 / GP2 if they want to be properly trained for F1.

[Sodemo]

I think Vettel was just a bit unlucky really. Same with Rubens. If Button had not have been there, Vettel would have just spun off onto the run off, or maybe into the barrier. It was Vettel avoiding the back of Button's car which made him spin I believe, as I think Button perhaps braked earlier, or at least earlier than Vettel thought.

[Fox89]

I've always rated him lower than many people. He's quick in clean air, but his overtaking is generally poor. I mean, he went to take the inside line when Jenson had already made it perfectly clear he intended to go on the inside, which is why he suddenly needed to take evasive. Boggles the mind.

[JeremySmith]

Seb is a great pilot no doubt about it, today he was just unlucky the car got away from him..

[ralf fan]

His driving standards are decreasing rapidly

[strider]

Originally Posted by JamesH

Weirdly, as A Button supporter, I thought Vettel was a bit unlucky to punt JB out. Pulled out a bit too violently I suppose, but was caught out by the rain, big tank slapper, thud. Accidental, should have been more gentle, and a bit unlucky.

He does seem a little too aggressive at times though, when it isn't really necessary. Needs to take a chill pill - the same one LH has taken this year would do.

Jenson said two things and they weren't in the heat of the moment. The first was that it was bone dry when Vettel took him out and the second that the McLarens are very good under braking, so it wasn't a question of him braking earlier than expected.

Misjudgement, pure and simple, by Vettel.

[Bakersboy]

His aggresive style reminds me of a young Michael Schumacher. It certainly helped him in later years as nobody wanted to get in his way, the arrival of somebody behind with a red crash helmet meant move over or be punted out of the way. Is this the arrival of TGF2?

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by ralf fan

His driving standards are decreasing rapidly

I don't agree at all..

Today we saw a racing incident.. I know he received a drive through, not the right call in my opinion..

[ASCII Man]

Should've been DQ'd for reckless driving, imo.
Would be smart to resolve this troublesome issue, before he becomes TGF Part Deux, albeit a very clumsy and overrated one.

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by ASCII Man

Should've been DQ'd for reckless driving, imo.
Would be smart to resolve this troublesome issue, before he becomes TGF Part Deux, albeit a very clumsy and overrated one.

Okay I respect your opinion but do you want these guys to race or what?

[ASCII Man]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Okay I respect your opinion but do you want these guys to race or what?

Ofcourse not.
Actual racing is too much excitement for me.

I prefer merry-go-rounds.

[ptclaus98]

Holy overreactions, Batman.

[steve_r]

Amaturish

[Teretonga]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Okay I respect your opinion but do you want these guys to race or what?

Interesting question but in reality if you take someone out and destroy their chances while trying to get past them and its ALL your fault what other equitable penalty is there other than a DQ?

Fortunately his attempts at recovery were a mess and he effectively DQ'ed himself.

I don't think Vettel is a poor driver. I just think that there is a lack of emotional maturity that is reflected in his ability to handle the pressure of being a championship contender at this stage in his career.

He has never won a championship since winning in his second season of Formula BMW nor has he battled throughout a complete championship season in senior cars before being elevated to F1.
Being Red Bull's golden boy may have built up his expectations, believing his press, or actually putting too much pressure on himself, and what where seeing is the impetuous-ness Hamilton showed a little of in his first and second years.

His team management needs to settle him down, forget the championship pressure and just teach him to drive on the day. Webber has showed far more maturity under pressure (although the start at Spa was &%$#?) in general this season but he had seasons at Minardi, Jaguar and Williams before landing at Red Bull.

It shows.

[ensign14]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Okay I respect your opinion but do you want these guys to race or what?

Race, yes.

Crashin' ain't racin'.

Vettel is too fast for his own good, he's too anxious to make his mark. He needs to chillax a little. He could turn into a Scheckter, i.e. tempers a natural speed in favour of racecraft and intelligence, or a Regazzoni, too eager to crash rather than be beaten...

[JeremySmith]

Good post Terentoga..I can not defend his actions apart from saying that I think the car just snapped away from him today, why I am not sure, damp track maybe?

Which is why I see this *one* as a racing incident, the accident with Webber I thought was completely his fault.

[chillibowl]

maybe I need to see it again but I feel as though he should have gotten a DQ after clipping Luizzi.
Teretonga's comments about Vettle lacking experience in a tight championship ring true for me as he very much came across today as a driver who is seeing his title hopes slip away and acting a little desperate.

[Fox89]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Good post and I can defend his actions apart from saying that I think the car just snapped away from him today, why I am not sure, damp track maybe?

Which is why I see this *one* as a racing incident, the accident with Webber I thought was completely his fault.

This is why I'm critical of the move. There was nothing much he could do once the car got away from him, but the reason why it did was because he was a complete prat. He was trying to have a look down the inside of Jenson into the chicane. Which is fine, in principle, but he tried to do it when there wasn't actually a gap.

I don't even see that kind of mistake racing karts! You can't go past someone when there isn't space, but Vettel seemed to want to give it a go anyway. The end result was he finally realized it wasn't going to work and had to swerve to the outside to try and avoid a crash, and that swerve made him lose control.

Taking out Jenson was just bad luck and I don't want to suggest for a second there was any intent in it. But the race craft he showed was simply awful, worse even than against Mark in Istanbul. That one was just an impetuous misjudgement, not actual stupidity

[E.B]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

maybe I need to see it again but I feel as though he should have gotten a DQ after clipping Luizzi.

Whilst not denying Vettel had his plonkerish moments I dont believe the Liuzzi incident was anything but 100% down to Liuzzi.... 'Tonio perhaps being too anxious to get back under Vettel, who had to all intents and purposes passed him.

On your rating it would suggest that Schumacher should have been dsq'd for slicing into Rosberg when MS misjudged his passing move and cut across Rosberg's path damaging Nico's wing.

As for Vettel, he has made a couple of errors of judgement, something most drivers do in their formative years. Lets not forget his Aussie teamate up until the last year of his Williams tenure had a higher career crash rate than Sato.

Having said that Seb does need to perhaps chill out a bit.

I think todays problem was perhaps more a top gear that was too short to allow him to get any benefit from being in the McLaren F-Duct assisted slipstream. Thus the area he should have perhaps been able to use to his advantage was not an option, and he needed to look at other parts of the track such as into Bus Stop where he made his failed attempt. He would at times come right up to the back of the McLaren of Button I think it was heading up the hill to Les Combes, and be against the limiter for the all important last third of the straight, and therefore be unable to do a full slipstream and draft past job.

At least he admitted his error and apologised, something few others in F1 have the grace to do. As for additional punishment I think that is a major over reaction to a racing incident.

[Knowlesy]

He is increasingly behaving, on track, like a complete gibbon.

He severely lacks racecraft and does not have any ability whatsoever in fighting past other cars. He is proving it time and again.

Dreadful stuff once again, he needs to take stock.

[Bob Pearson]

I have a job avoiding mistakes on the track at 120mph, so how another human being can be expected to operate mistake free at close to 200 mph I do not understand. The stewards should be careful to avoid generating an atmosphere where drivers are afraid to race for fear of reprisals. They should only step in against cheating or deliberate causing of accidents

[Jamesy-18]

First people were moaning about Webber, now Vettel? Come of it. It's racing. These things happen. They aren't playing a card game here.