The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| Vettel make his point 15 times over Posted: 09 Oct 2011 06:37 AM PDT  Vettel sprays champagne on his face after winning his second Formula One world championship at the Suzuka circuit October 9, 2011. — Reuters pic The 24-year-old Red Bull driver, who had needed just one point to become only the ninth driver to win back-to-back titles but ended up with 14 more than required, has never played a numbers game however. Starting on pole position for the 12th time in 15 races this season, Vettel set his sights on nothing short of victory and only towards the end did he bow to his team's demands and settle for third place, two seconds behind McLaren's winner Jenson Button. "At the end of the race his pace was very good and we were trying to contain his enthusiasm, reminding him that he'd already got 14 points more than he needed," said team boss Christian Horner. Vettel had vowed to win his second title in style and the German delivered on his promise, albeit in very different style to the first. In Abu Dhabi last November he had won against the odds with a victory in the final race after not having led the championship at any stage until the very end. This year, the champion has led from the start with nine wins and 14 podium finishes. Though today's result at Suzuka was his second worst finish of the season, there was never any doubt about the title outcome. "To win the championship here is pretty special and a bit funny at the same time, because it's as confusing as the first one," Vettel, who lost out to Button and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso in the pitstops but hunted them down in the closing laps, told reporters. "I think it will surely take a little bit of time (to sink in) but the season has been fantastic. "I think with a less dominant car than last year we were able to do a very, very good job. We are very strong as a team. Every time it mattered we made very few mistakes... we were there, we were performing." Vettel's first win triggered an all-night party in Abu Dhabi, and a lot of hangovers, but there are four more races to go this time with the next one looming in South Korea next weekend. "The funny thing this year is that next week there is the next race," he said. "Last year, after the chequered flag, it was all over. There was a long period of time when you weren't in the car again. So it's a bit different this year and it makes it even more special in a way." Button, who won the 2009 title with a race to spare, advised Vettel to take some private time to let what he had achieved sink in. "I remember when I won the world championship, immediately it was a strange feeling," said the Briton, who left the post-title celebrations in Brazil that year to go back to his hotel bedroom and savour the moment in solitude. "It was like: 'What am I supposed to feel right now?' And it takes a little bit of time. It normally comes when you're on your own and you can really think about what you've achieved. "I'm sure Seb's going to look forward to that tonight or about five or six in the morning," added the McLaren driver with a smile. Vettel, for once, was in less of a hurry. "Oh, no," he grinned, as his team laid the groundwork for a party night by donning T-shirts celebrating his title. "Afternoon." — Reuters |
| Button delights in ‘home’ Japanese win Posted: 09 Oct 2011 04:45 AM PDT  Button celebrates with girlfriend Michibata and crew members after his victory in the Japanese F1 Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit October 9, 2011. — Reuters pic Even if the McLaren driver's joy was eclipsed by the celebrations at Red Bull for Sebastian Vettel's second successive championship, his delight was obvious from the moment he crossed the line. Parking his car at the end of the pitlane, in the wrong place, the Briton stood up in jubilation and then jogged back to the garages waving at the fans in the packed grandstand opposite. In seven years as a Honda driver, the 31-year-old with a deep love of the country and a Japanese girlfriend had only once managed to appear on the podium at the Honda-owned circuit. This year's race was made more emotionally-charged by Button's involvement in fundraising efforts to help victims of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated a swathe of northeast Japan in March. "It feels like a home win, and it's a very emotional win, not just for myself, but the whole team, and especially my close-knit little team of (trainer) Mikey (Collier), the old man (father John) and (girlfriend) Jessica (Michibata)," the 2009 world champion told Reuters. "Obviously that's because of the connection with Japan through Jessica, who was bawling her eyes out after the race, so it was very difficult for me to stop myself from crying. "But it was a very special race for all of us, and also because this circuit is just phenomenal, a work of art I would say," added the Briton. "The layout is unforgiving, but every lap makes you smile, and also there is the history that goes with this circuit." In winning, Button denied Vettel his third successive Japanese Grand Prix win — although not a place in the record books as youngest double champion — and followed in the footsteps of some of the giants in the sport. Brazilian Ayrton Senna, his own compatriot Damon Hill, seven times world champion Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen all won at Suzuka — fast and flowing and one of the great driver circuits — over the years. "One of the most important things here is the crowd. They are so supportive," said Button, who was forced on to the grass at the start by Vettel but was able to joke about it afterwards. "I just went out there with the trophy and the grandstands were still full. Unbelievable. I had never seen anything like it. They are so passionate about their motor sport." — Reuters |
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