‘I’m no Schumi yet’, insists Vettel

Red Bull driver and newly-crowned F1 world champion says Mercedes, Ferrari every driver’s dream.

BERLIN: Newly-crowned Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel says he still has a long road to travel to be mentioned in the same breath as seven-time title-holder Michael Schumacher.

Vettel, at 23, became the youngest driver to claim the crown, adding further weight to the claims by his fans that he is the next Schumacher. But ‘Baby-Schumi’, as Vettel is known, told Bild newspaper that he can not “compare his [Schumacher’s] career and his life with mine, he’s a legend and I’m only at the start”.

The Red Bull driver, who won the season finale Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, added that he was now intent on defending his title with his team in 2011. “We have in this team something decisive for success in F1 - good people in the right jobs.”

While a Red Bull man through and through for now, Vettel spoke about the lure of an eventual move to Ferrari or Mercedes. “Ferrari and Mercedes represent the history, the present and certainly the future of Formula One. Each driver dreams of Ferrari or Mercedes.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2010.