xpb Belated Vettel well-wishers
15.11.2010
L ewis Hamilton took it sporty. He was the first to sprint to Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull in Parc fermé and congratulated him. The Englishman had already announced before the final: 'If I don't win the title, I'll be least disappointed of all.' A feat, at 24 points behind. Nevertheless, the 2008 world champion earned sympathy points on Sunday. Because he immediately admitted: 'Vettel deserves this title the most of all of us.'
Fernando Alonso snuck out of the parc fermé like a beaten dog. No look at the winners, no handshake. Instead, he railed loudly internally about the tactical mistakes. It was only after cooling off for a while that the number one World Cup favorite was recovered. 'Vettel deserves the title because he was that little bit better than us.'
Everything went wrong at Alonso
The Spaniard also moderated his criticism of the strategy after the initial anger had subsided: 'In retrospect, with all the facts in the hand, it was wrong. But it's always easy to be smarter afterwards. ' After all, he also reprimanded his bad start: 'Everything went wrong, from start to finish.'
That he threatened Vitaly Petrov with his fist after the race was not the best way. Alonso is not a good loser , true to the motto: Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a real loser. But with Petrov, the Ferrari driver's anger was directed at the wrong address. The Russian only did what Alonso would have done in his place.
Brundle: 'Hard to find Alonso sympathetic'
Even more. When Petrov saw that Alonso was braking in an attack, he opened the door. 'I didn't want to be to blame for Alonso losing the world title.' Had Petrov not reacted so well, Alonso's world championship mission would have ended on lap 23 with a sheared front wing.
Ferrari racing director Stefano Domenicali may have to reconsider his statement: 'I congratulate you Fernando. He's an extraordinary racing driver and an extraordinary personality. ' Part one is sure to be correct. Ferrari's number one has yet to work on the second part. Martin Brundle said: 'As a racing driver, I take my hat off to him. But it is difficult to find him likeable outside the cockpit.'
Webber waives direct congratulations
Webber lost the world title in training. Only one miracle could save him from fifth on the grid. He'd gone for less downforce and that was a mistake. Webber bought the two km /h more top speed and the harder chassis with lower tire temperatures and high wear on the rear tires. When he got stuck in midfield after the early pit stop, all fighting spirit was already broken.
Vettel will be even stronger in 2011
One almost had the impression that Webber didn't want to attack Alonso's Ferrari lying in front of him. The fact that his stable rival Vettel won the title did not improve the mood. Webber knows what that means for 2011. With the World Cup in his back, Vettel will be even stronger.
The Australian could not warm up to the World Cup celebrations in the opposing camp. Webber was absent from all the cheering photos and he left the race track as one of the first from the Red Bull squad. Before Webber blew his father, mother and friend Ann Neal off, there was a long speech for both drivers from Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz. You can imagine what was put on the table. The Istanbul collision. The front wing dispute of Silverstone. The constant talk about number two status. The mutual distrust that arose from this dispute.
Webber: 'Vettel with good timing'
Webber finally found some warm words for his team-mate: 'I have to take my hat off to what Seb has done. In contrast to me, he also had the right timing. He led the World Championship after the decisive race of the year. '
Mateschitz would like to continue with this driver pairing. Even if it gave him some gray hair over the course of the season. Does Webber want that too? In the press release he is quoted as saying: 'I fought for the title until the last race. So I must have done something right. I did well for most of the season. That's what matters to me. I have now plenty of time to think about the ups and downs this season. Two world titles for the team are not bad. I'll fight again next year. '
Webber gives best chance for the title
That doesn't sound like a lot of enthusiasm. At the beginning of the season, the third place in the World Cup thought about retiring. And he will do it again when he flies back to his homeland after the championship party in Salzburg. The winter is long. The fact that he can skip the Pirelli test drives speaks volumes. Nobody does that who wants to become world champion in 2011. And like Webber didsaid: 'It might not be my last chance to become world champion, but it was definitely my best.'
