F1 season 'not over' even if Vettel wins title

Sebastian Vettel needs just one point in the Suzuka Grand Prix next week to become Formula One’s youngest double world champion but the season is far from over, according to UAE’s motorsport legend Mohammed bin Sulayem.

The 24-year-old German eclipsed Britain’s Lewis Hamilton as the youngest F1 world champion after a bitter duel with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso providing a thrilling climax to the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the magnificent Yas Marina circuit last year. But when the Formula One circus head to Abu Dhabi this time, Vettel would have been already crowned champion needing just a point from five races.

“Even if the championship is decided, there will be much more challenges in Abu Dhabi than if it was about a point,” he said when asked whether interest in the remaining races in the F1 calendar will wane if Vettel seals the title in the Japanese Grand Prix.

On the contrary, bin Sulayem believes each individual race after Suzuka will be a “championship of its own” and no less exciting than the opening race of the season.

“The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be a championship of its own. Just because the championship is decided, do we go home and not watch, no. The excitement of watching it in the most beautiful circuit in the world (Yas Marina) will be more,” he said speaking to 'Emirates 24|7'.

Red Bull driver Vettel secured his ninth win of the season on Sunday in Singapore and will not even need another point if his closest challenger Jenson Button of McLaren fails to win in Suzuka on October 9.

But with four more races to follow in Korea (October 16), India (October 30), Abu Dhabi (November 13) and Brazil (November 27) after Suzuka, it will herald the beginning of a new “championship”, according to bin Sulayem.

“In any sport discipline, it doesn’t mean if the championship is over, it becomes boring. It’s not about him (Vettel). I believe every race provides a different challenge,” said the 14-time Middle East Rally champion.

Asked what he would do if he were in Vettel’s shoes, he would slow down. “If it was about a point, like I used to do in the championship in Middle East, I would slow down and take a point for the title,” he said.

“But with the F1 title race decided, each race will become independent of themselves because everybody has nothing to lose. Honestly people will be fighting to win,” said bin Sulayem who is a vice-president of the FIA, the world governing body for motorsports.

Recalling his own experiences in the Middle East Rally championships, bin Sulayem revealed the challenges he faced after he had sealed the championship. “In the Dubai Rally once, I automatically won the title after my closest rival broke down. I thought I could relax but it was not the case, everybody was trying to beat me because I was the champion,” he said.

Bin Sulayem said Vettel will face a similar predicament with Button, Alonso, Hamilton and Felipe Massa breathing down his neck in the remaining races.

“The eagerness to win will be much more,” said bin Sulayem who in his capacity as president of Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE, is responsible for overseeing the smooth running of the race.

He predicted that Vettel would be more dominant than seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher because he has age on his side.

Asked what was the reason for Vettel’s success, he said: “This is his era. His preparation is they key and you become so good in what you do. It’s not only about Vettel himself. He is smart. He has already acquired the experience and knowledge one normally gains in the mid-30s. But it is also about the cohesiveness of the team,” he said.

To the perennial question whether it is the car or driver which is the reason for Vettel’s dominance, bin Sulayem said: “It’s everything. He is a good driver definitely. You can never take that from somebody. How many times, they said okay car wins because of the driver. Then they say he is lucky. The guy is such a super driver. This is his time. His car is good and his team is good.”
 

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