[ChebuRAtoR]

youngest f1 race winner
youngest f1 world championship winner
youngest f1 2 time world championship winner
most laps led in a season, leading his 693rd lap in 2011.
16 races out of 17 that he has been on the podium (top 4 all year so far)
top 3 in qualifying
with the new points he would have the most points in a year

with upto 20 races a year a lot of records could fall if he keeps going the way he is
with in 5 years he could have more wins than michael schumacher.


http://ibnlive.in.com/news/records-g...7382-5-24.html
Greater Noida: There were records galore as newly-crowned world champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull scorched his way to the pole position -- his 13th of the season -- in the maiden Indian Grand Prix here on Saturday.

This was Vettel's 28th pole of his career and 13th this season, putting him just one behind Nigel Mansell's single season record of 14 pole positions, set in 1992.

Vettel is now equal sixth in the all-time standings alongside five-time champion Juan Manuel Fangio.

[Biassasecumma]

It certainly looks good for him, and it's a pleasure to witness this happening!
I still remember when he got his first pole position and won his first F1 race in Monza 2008 like it was today, what a great moment that defined the brilliant career that followed.

I'm a big MS fan, yet if Vettel can rewrite all his records than so be it, by the looks of it he'll be worth it.

[leijggigf]

with upto 20 races a year a lot of records could fall if he keeps going the way he is
with in 5 years he could have more wins than michael schumacher.


Records galore for Vettel ahead of race day - Sports - Formula One - ibnlive

And therein lies the problem. Next year everything will change and Vettel might get lucky to win a handful of races. Exotic mapping and diffuser bans are just a couple of reasons why RBRs dominance will seize.

[nasxbrtyol]

youngest f1 race winner
youngest f1 world championship winner
youngest f1 2 time world championship winner
most laps led in a season, leading his 693rd lap in 2011.
16 races out of 17 that he has been on the podium (top 4 all year so far)
top 3 in qualifying
with the new points he would have the most points in a year

with upto 20 races a year a lot of records could fall if he keeps going the way he is
with in 5 years he could have more wins than michael schumacher.


Records galore for Vettel ahead of race day - Sports - Formula One - ibnlive

Yet quite a few idiots around here say he is overrated in the most overrated driver poll

2 + 2 = blank stare...

[hopertveyk]

The only thing I'd say as a note of caution is that there are more races in a season than ever before. So while that detracts absolutely nothing from Vettel's championships and race wins, nor from his phenomenal talent, it does make it rather silly to compare statistics like most laps led in a season or number of victories.

[huerta]

The only thing I'd say as a note of caution is that there are more races in a season than ever before. So while that detracts absolutely nothing from Vettel's championships and race wins, nor from his phenomenal talent, it does make it rather silly to compare statistics like most laps led in a season or number of victories.

Also, the reliability aspect resulting from the engine freeze, multi race gearbox requirements etc means retirements non self-inflicted are a lot less common than, say, 10 years ago. Then there is the lack of a tyre war, rule stability etc....................

[ChexEcodece]

It has been an unbelievable year for him but beating Schumachers records will depend more on whether Red Bull can produce a dominant car for 5 successive seasons like Ferrari did (200-2004). I think Vettel will have more competition than Schumacher had which will make sustained domination more difficult. Alonso, Hamilton (2007-2010), Kubica and Raikkonen are a step ahead of Hakkinen, Villeneuve, Hill and Coulthard.

[Biassasecumma]

And therein lies the problem. Next year everything will change and Vettel might get lucky to win a handful of races. Exotic mapping and diffuser bans are just a couple of reasons why RBRs dominance will seize.

Take a look at 2009, no strange mappings, no funny diffuser, and yet very close to the Brawn GP car with is double diffuser.
There's more to a F1 car then that.

[Biassasecumma]

It has been an unbelievable year for him but beating Schumachers records will depend more on whether Red Bull can produce a dominant car for 5 successive seasons like Ferrari did (200-2004). I think Vettel will have more competition than Schumacher had which will make sustained domination more difficult. Alonso, Hamilton (2007-2010), Kubica and Raikkonen are a step ahead of Hakkinen, Villeneuve, Hill and Coulthard.

Kubica? Oh well.

[ChexEcodece]

Take a look at 2009, no strange mappings, no funny diffuser, and yet very close to the Brawn GP car with is double diffuser.
There's more to a F1 car then that.

I get the feeling that McLaren could suffer more than Red Bull after the EBDs are banned. McLaren are using the diffuser technology to cover up the aero shortcomings of their car. Remember at Silverstone how slow McLaren were.

[ChexEcodece]

Kubica? Oh well.

Well I can hope that he'll come back from injury stronger like Schu did in 1999

[huerta]

I get the feeling that McLaren could suffer more than Red Bull after the EBDs are banned. McLaren are using the diffuser technology to cover up the aero shortcomings of their car. Remember at Silverstone how slow McLaren were.

Depends if they build a 5h!t car........

......again!

[ChexEcodece]

Depends if they build a 5h!t car........

......again!

The last 3 cars McLaren built have been poor.

2009 - only won races because they were the only team to master KERS and Hamilton was in great form that year.
2010 - only won races because of Buttons tyre decisions and the F-duct on fast circuits
2011 - lets look at each win individually:
China - win was mostly down to Lewis saving a set of tyres in qualifying
Canada - win was down to Buttons skill on slicks on a wet track/rare error from Vettel
Germany - a fast car that Lewis extracted the most out of
Hungary - Button again mastering changeable conditions
Japan - They had the fastest car

Red Bull have done a better job each year and Vettel has got better with each year.

[RayFairhurst]

The rules aren't likely to change very much for next year so Red Bull will still be the top team, perhaps Ferrari and McLaren can sort out their issues and give them a run for their money. But the problem is that in F1 you have to run to stand still and Red Bull have quite a head start. So in many ways McLaren and Ferrari have to do an even better job than Red Bull over the winter, just to get on level terms with them.

A saving grace is perhaps the theory that there is a theoretical maximum you can get out of the F1 rules at any one time, as you get close to the maximum the rate of improvement decreases, is Red Bull getting close?

[WhiliaStelt]

I have no problem with one team dominating, but what bothers me is the lack of two drivers with the ability (yes, ability) to make it a good fight between them.

Webber this season has been embarrassingly bad, and made Vettel look even better. I do not believe Vettel is a cut above Alonso or Hamilton - he may be equal, but not better.

Hopefully McLaren, Ferrari and maybe Mercedes can provide a better race next year. If not, then it will be 2011 all over again, because there is no chance of Webber doing anything.

2011 has been a massive "what might have been" for me. The rules have improved the show certainly, and some individual races have been great, but Red Bull's dominant car, Webber's lack of pace and other drivers seemingly scared to take on Vettel (see Hamilton at Korea on the first lap, yet he races 100% with Webber ?!) have meant 2011 has been a let down for me.

I just want 2011 to finish so we can hopefully have a better 2012. Unfortunately, I fear 2012 may be like 2002 !

[TorryJens]

Webber is a giant amongst jockeys .

[serius_06]

The 2011 season has indeed been a huge success for Vettel and looking at history, it is right up there with 2002 and 2004 as the most 'perfect' dominations in Formula One history in terms of maximizing results. Let's take a look. In 2002/04/11 we have had three different points systems, but if we calculated them all into one (let's take 10-8-6-...), then we would have the following information:
2002: Schumacher - 156 pts/17 races
2004: Schumacher - 148 pts/18 races
2011: Vettel - 153 pts/17 races (so far)

The only thing that Vettel misses from Schumacher's 2002 season is finishing on the podium in all races. Seriously after that year and especially after recent seasons of extremely tight competition I have thought we could never see that happening again, but Vettel has come oh-so-close to repeating that feat, missing out only in Germany by finishing 4th.

As for future records and questions whether Vettel can repeat Schumacher's incredible run of success in 00-04, then I have to say that current Red Bull really reminds me of that superb team of Team Schumacher and in terms of personnel they look very stable too. Surely after 2001 people were asking that Ferrari can't stay at the top forever, Williams, Michelin, new car manufacturers were coming up strong. But they stayed there. I wouldn't be surprised if Vettel kept on winning WDC's for a few more years. Certainly current Ferrari doesn't look particularly convincing, they haven't improved their design team much either, so they may remain in mediocrity. McLaren looks more promising, but remains to be seen if they have it in them to really beat RBR over a full season. Mercedes has hired some new staff, but if they ever were to make it to the titles, it would still take a couple of years.

What also helps Red Bull's case is that the rules will remain relatively stable for the next two years as well. And we have a fair bit restrictions, which means that RBR has fewer fears of missing out an important advantage. For example we don't have a tyre war, which for instance really cost Ferrari in both '03 and '05 after dominant seasons. Also we have engine freeze, so RBR doesn't need to fear that Renault suddenly falls 100 hp behind others. So it is really up to the Milton Keynes factory to deliver an excellent car - bigger emphasis is on what is produced in-house. Imagine McLaren and Ferrari were on a different tyre manufacturer than RBR - I think in this case the possibility of RBR's domination coming to an end would be much bigger.

I get the feeling that McLaren could suffer more than Red Bull after the EBDs are banned. McLaren are using the diffuser technology to cover up the aero shortcomings of their car. Remember at Silverstone how slow McLaren were.

I don't think McLaren was that slow at Silverstone, because Hamilton was on course for a Top3 finish had he not run out of fuel. And the Silverstone case doesn't mean much, because the 2012 cars will be designed differently. In the same way it could have been said during 2010 that Ferrari will gain or Red Bull will suffer in 2011, because Pirelli suits Ferrari's relative "kindness" to tyres or RBR hasn't had any experience with KERS. But once the new rules come to force, design teams will adapt to make the best out of the situation.

[huerta]

Every time I see this thread on the home page I think of an image of a spotty 14yr old Vettel holding some old vinyl LP's of Kraftwerk and that bird with the hairy pits that sung about Red Balloons......

[huerta]

Nena!

[leijggigf]

Take a look at 2009, no strange mappings, no funny diffuser, and yet very close to the Brawn GP car with is double diffuser.
There's more to a F1 car then that.

Oh, but RB DID copy the diffusor!
A simple thing like changing the mapping dices up the order. Silverstone anyone?