Sebastian Vettel in the winner's interview: Party until the sun comes up

How did the race go from the driver's point of view?
V ettel: The start was already important. I just won it. In the race, Lewis (Hamilton) came a little close again in between, but the gap then leveled off. Then luckily he was stopped by Kubica. I didn't know what was going on until the checkered flag. I just noticed that my race engineer was a little nervous on the radio. He hasn't talked that much in the entire season. After crossing the finish line, he said: It looks good, but we have to wait until everyone is through. And then he screamed: You are world champion.

You had no idea that you were world champion?
Vettel: No. I have already noticed that something is in the bush. I wanted to look at the video boards, but I didn't want to. It was really a fantastic race. It started in daylight and the party will probably only end when we see daylight again.

What do you think of Vitaly Petrov, who was holding Alonso up all the time?
Vettel: Most of the time, I looked at myself. I saw on the screens during the race that Robert (Kubica) is second. Behind that, I didn't know exactly what was going on. But if Vitaly has helped me, then of course I thank you. I wish him that he'll be there next year as well.

You had the feeling that they changed their attitudes and became more relaxed during the season. What was the reason for that?
Vettel: I started the season with the aim of winning the World Cup. I haven't lost my focus in between, but I may have got a little tense. I had the accident with Jenson (Button) in Spa and received a lot of criticism from the press for it. It was not easy. That's when I realized who my friends are. Since then I have put my energy into these people.

The word 'Monza' was written on your balaclava. What did that mean?
Vettel: That was my engineer who wrote that on it. He once asked me what makes me happy. I answered him: Monza. I have never forgotten my first win back then. I was a bit surprised when I saw this today. That made me feel good before the start.

You now have Lewis Hamilton as the youngest world champion of all timereplaced. Does that mean something to you?
Vettel: I thought that his record might never be broken. He only missed the title by one point the year before. But that's not the most important thing for me now. Maybe I'll get rid of the record after two seasons.

Have there ever been doubts?
Vettel: I always have believed in my team. Many people gave me strength and believed in me. When things happen like the one in Korea, where the engine has broken, it's obviously disappointing. After that it wasn't impossible, but the pressure was relieved a little. We had to stay cool and needed a little luck. That helped in the end.

Red Bull also owes the title to the fact that they did not manage the stables in Brazil.
Vettel: I think we did everything right. But that's always easy to say afterwards. Sometimes you don't know exactly what to do. You just don't have it in your hand. Of course, if it works, that's fantastic. Some people would call it fate.