Vettel still has room to improve: Horner

Red Bull chief pleased with world champion’s performance.


Afp June 10, 2013
Vettel finished a luxurious 16.2 seconds clear of Alonso who fought from sixth on the grid to finish on the podium. PHOTO: AFP

MONTREAL: Sebastian Vettel is a long way from his peak and is still improving both as a competitor and driver, his Red Bull team chief Christian Horner declared following the defending triple world champion’s commanding victory in the Canadian Grand Prix.

As the dust settled in the aftermath of an eventful race dominated by the 25-year-old German but overshadowed by the death of a track marshal, Horner gave a stark warning to his rivals.

“He [Vettel] is continuing to get stronger, continuing to get better,” said Horner. “He is a very focused and determined young man, and has achieved a huge amount in his career.

“But the impressive thing about him is how much desire he has to continue to improve himself. He obviously wants to achieve as much as he can.”

Vettel on Sunday claimed his third win this year and the 29th of his career as well as his first for Red Bull in Canada as he opened up a yawning 36-point lead in the drivers’ championship.

Despite Vettel’s lead in the title race, Horner saw no reason to believe that his team was now in the driving seat for the championship.

“We are just focusing on trying to get the maximum out of ourselves and the drivers at each individual event,” he said. “While the points look healthy at the moment, Fernando [Alonso] put in another strong race and you cannot afford any complacency. The margins can rapidly be eroded.”

Two-time champion Spaniard Alonso of Ferrari finished second in the race ahead of battling Briton Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes.

Race conclusion marked by tragedy

After the race, it was announced that a marshal had died following an accident at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The marshal was helping to retrieve Mexican Esteban Gutierrez’s crashed Sauber car following the race when he tripped while trying to retrieve a dropped radio and fell under the wheels of a mobile crane.

After being taken to the circuit’s medical centre he was transferred by helicopter to the Sacre-Coeur hospital in Montreal but lost the battle against the injuries and died on Sunday evening. He is the third marshal to have been killed at Formula One grands prix since 2000.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 11th, 2013.

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