Comparison To Michael Schumacher
Vettel's unexpected win at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix led the media to dub him the "Baby Schumi", "New Schumacher", but Vettel played down the comparison stating he wanted to be the "New Vettel". He was not just dubbed this for his nationality, but also because of his driving style, his concentration and the hands-on role he plays behind the scenes with his team of engineers. One difference is that Vettel, unlike Schumacher, names his cars: Julie (2008), Kate, Kate's Dirty Sister (2009), Luscious Liz, Randy Mandy (2010), Kinky Kylie (2011), Abbey (2012), and Hungry Heidi (2013).
Nevertheless, the similarities are marked. Like Schumacher, Vettel grew up in a small town with an everyday background—Schumacher's father a bricklayer and Vettel's a carpenter. Both had their first taste of racing at the Kerpen karting track near Cologne, not far from the Nürburgring. Vettel began driving in his garden lapping the garden many times, not even stopping to eat or shower, before he could legally take to the roads, and said his passion for cars was nurtured by watching Schumacher compete.
After winning his first championship in 2010, and being hailed as the 'Next Schumacher', Vettel has stated he did not want to aim for Schumacher's record after learning how hard it was to get one championship under his belt, though he would like to win more. It was in their next season that the two drivers began to dominate the sport, both clinching their second successive title before the season was finished (unlike the previous year) in only their fourth full season. Both drivers became the youngest ever double World Champion at the time, by doing this.
In 2011, Pirelli's Paul Hembery was impressed when Sebastian Vettel was the only driver to take the time to visit the factory and talk to the tyre manufacturer to gain a better insight and improve their racing. The "only other driver that asks us a lot of questions" is Michael Schumacher. Hemberey "found that interesting. It is like seeing the master and the protégé at work."
Read more about this topic: Sebastian Vettel
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