Quote:
Originally Posted by motion
I believe that to be a true F1 hero, a champion must be respected, work well as a teammate, and be able to overcome adversarial conditions to win. Vettel has shown none of those traits. He's only shown that he's an arrogant, spoiled little pr*ck who can only win in a superior car. I don't hate the guy... just calling him out  |
Sorry Richard, but we part ways on this one. Drivers like Senna were never respected - they were feared. Many successful drivers never worked well as a teammate - they worked to own the team and get it to back them regardless of what it meant to their teammate co-driver. F1 has a long list of strong personalities that had the killer instinct to win. Where you see arrogant, I tend to see more confidence. To make it to F1 and survive, I have to think that a healthy sense of self is necessary for survival and as a means of getting the team to rally to support you. Isn't that part of what made Schumacher successful at Bennetton and Ferrari?
The "spoiled" characterization just doesn't seem like a fit to me. Perhaps in the right place and right time and made the best of a great car, but that doesn't mean spoiled. Anything I've read about his upbringing and respect for history and crew belies a "spoiled" label.
Obviously Alonso has plenty of talent and has been very impressive at Ferrari with weaker equipment. But he had a very checkered past at McLaren - balking Hamilton at every turn and trying to blackmail his team via spygate e-mails for better treatment. Respected? Work well as a teammate? Arrogant
pr*ick? True F1 hero? He certainly is part of the F1 circus that makes it entertaining to follow.
The good news for us F1 fans is that Vettel is still young and getting challenged by new blood and new regulations. We'll be able to see how he adapts and handles the ebbs and flows of F1.