There was a wonderful moment in the Brazilian Grand Prix today when Sebastian Vettel again showed how special he is as a driver. Sure, the race provided a happy ending to the season with the victory scored by Mark Webber, Vettel’s teammate at Red Bull. But as Vettel went around the track with a broken gearbox, he said over his team radio that he felt like Ayrton Senna at this same track in 1991, when he had a problem with his gearbox – but won the race.
It is refreshing to see such a young driver with a sense of history of the sport. There are a few of them on the grid, but most only think of their lives in the moment. That Vettel could think of the history that mostly only the F1 media remember so clearly, is a real sign of who this double world champion is.
And speaking of history, it was interesting to see that while none of the three new teams from last year again scored any points this year, the Team Lotus – which revived the historic team name last year – again finished tenth in the series. That is a big boost for the team as it brings financial rewards to finish twice in tenth position.