In defence of Sebastian Vettel, the born winner

Sebastian Vettel’s humility, genuine or not, is as misplaced as the condemnation along some quarters of the pit lane and the media of his refusal to meekly allow his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber to win the Malaysian Grand Prix.

I am convinced that, faced with the same situation, he would do it again and go all out for victory. That is what being a born winner is all about.

I am confident I am not a lone voice, echoing the opinions of genuine Formula One fans worldwide who pay big money to watch truly competitive grands prix, right to the chequered flag, and not fixed outcomes like those televised professional wrestling bouts with farcically staged results.

The young German’s skill and fortitude, which have already earned him three world titles, with plenty more to come I am sure, represent an attitude that must be regarded as a blessing for those of us who hail an uncompromising will to be a winner.

Team orders, once outlawed, are now permitted, and that to my way of thinking is a fraud on the paying or TV-watching public, who want an honest-to-goodness return for their interest and enthusiasm and not have to endure the dictates from pit wall when don’t-you-dare-overtake orders are issued.

Vettel, the undoubted superstar, and Australian veteran Mark Webber, in a supporting role, have never been bosom buddies and the aftermath of Sepang when their placings dramatically changed with ten laps left, will have further widened the gap in their relationship.

Turn the drivers loose

Not that it should disturb Vettel one iota. If he had remained in second place, as ordered by team boss Christian Horner and, come the end of the season, lost the world title to, say, Fernando Alonso, by the number of points he was being forced to surrender, what would the feelings be among the Red Bull hierarchical sponsors who pour millions of dollars into the team?

I would guarantee they would not be pleased. And that is probably the understatement of the year.

My view of racing, whether on wheels or legs, is an affiliation for the spectacle, the out-and-out competition, Devil Take the Hindmost, Go for It, Every Man for Himself, Be a Winner.

Clearly Webber was not capable of taking a win on merit and without the team putting the brakes on his teammate in Malaysia.

And, just as clearly, Vettel, as always, was quicker and therefore more deserving of his place on the top step of the podium.

His humble post-race apologies were overshadowed by his determination not to play second fiddle and any genuine fan would be in utter appreciation of his continuing eagerness not to be a loser.

The critics of his final flourish seem to have overlooked the threat to his placing presented by Lewis Hamilton, who was catching up while being shadowed by his frustrated Mercedes partner Nico Rosberg.

Hamilton and Rosberg, probably faster, were also ordered not to race each other. And that niggled Rosberg, who could well have been on the podium given free rein to go for it.

How do you curb a driver with an in-born aim to be a winner? Answer: You can’t.

My urgent plea is: Turn the drivers loose. Nobody wants processional or fixed races.

— The writer is a motorsport expert based in England.