Sebastian Vettel continues to go from strength to strength. 2009 saw him finishing second in the F1 driver’s championship, with most pundits saying the likeable German is a world champion in the making. He looks back on a year of highs and lows.
RB: Is it a relief to have finally reached the end of such a long season?
Sebastian Vettel: Relief is the wrong word. To be honest I’m actually a little bit sad that I have to wait until February to sit in a Formula One car again. But of course it’s good to know that I can relax for the whole of November. Preparation and training starts again in December.
Has this year been a learning experience for you as a racer and as a person?
SV: Well, it hasn’t changed me as a human being, because I am a different Sebastian Vettel away from the race track. That said, all the travel and the extra responsibility makes you grow up faster. But as a racer, you’re job is to learn how to analyse and to correct errors, and that process never stops.
What was your favourite moment?
SV: All four victories were great moments, because I was able to put my plans into action. Finishing first in Suzuka (Japan) was very special, because everything went perfectly.
But the season was a real roller coaster. Was it ever hard to cope?
SV: Whether you’re in karting, Formula BMW or Formula One, a racing driver has to be able to handle pressure, otherwise he’s in the wrong job.
In the end, though, you won four races and came extremely close to the title. Would you say it was a perfect season?
SV: No. It would have been perfect if I had won the overall title. As a driver you are always frustrated when you lose. Second or third place is always a little bit disappointing for an ambitious racer. But to the team and the guys who support me, I can only say: “Your performance was outstanding!
Why do you think you fell so agonisingly short?
SV: We all made some small mistakes that added up to our not being able to win the championship. I don’t believe in bad luck – sometimes a few factors were not at work. Now it is time to learn from these mistakes and to make it better next year.
We have never seen you as disappointed as you were at the Brazilian GP. Was that the low point of your career?
SV: No. It wasn’t the low point, it was just spontaneous disappointment. I could have won in Brazil, but the circumstances were such that t didn’t work out. So I was very, very depressed.
Do you still think about it?
SV: No. I don’t like to look in the rearview mirror for too long.
Last February you said it would be presumptuous to talk about the world title. Why is that?
SV: It's always presumptuous to talk about the world championship at the beginning of the season. Besides, Formula One is far too complicated to make any kind of accurate prediction.
As you said, it’s impossible to make predictions in F1, but do you already know what your goal is for next year?
SV: Yes.
And how will you reach that goal?
SV: We fell short so every member of the team needs to improve, but if we succeed in doing that, the next step for Red Bull Racing will be the world title.
There’s no fuel stops next year. Is there a danger that the sport for could become boring for the spectators?
SV: Formula One is always exciting, no matter who makes the rules. As for the fuel stops: I think it could actually be more intense because cars that are slower at the beginning of a race could be the fastest in the end. I think everybody will be very surprised.
But before you get back to work, are you going away for your holiday?
SV: At the moment I’m taking part in the Race of Champions in Beijing and on Saturday I will be hosting a show on German TV– that’s pure stress. After that I’ll get to go home to Brunswick, relax and I'm going to spend it with family and friends. But then there's an end of season party for everyone in the factory. There's always something going on.
You don’t like the media to be too intrusive. How difficult is it for you to get leisure anonymity and peace?
SV: I don’t think anybody likes media hype, but I know interviews and promotion is all part of the job and sometimes I even like it… But it's true: I still don’t see myself as a star. For me, stars are people like Brad Pitt. And I do have my ways of keeping a low profile – but they’re secret.
Keep up with Sebastian at Red Bull Racing's official website.
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