Vettel in awe of hometown welcome
Sebastian Vettel was 'knocked out' as an estimated 15,000 fans braved the cold on Sunday to welcome him home to Heppenheim.
Fans arrived in droves, waiting for hours, to catch a glimpse of Vettel a week after he became the youngest F1 Champion at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
The Red Bull racer, who was greeted by cries of 'Sebastian, Sebastian!' as he came onto the stage, was honoured in his home town by Heppenheim's mayor Gerhard Herbert, who handed him the golden book of the town, which has a population of just 25,000.
"When I was standing up there and saw all these people and they were all screaming and chanting, that knocks you out," the 23-year-old said.
"I didn't expect to see so many people, this makes me really proud as a Heppenheim boy.
"I have got goose pimples, this is better than Abu Dhabi, because there weren't so many people there."
The Red Bull driver became World Champion at the age of 23 and 135 days. The previous youngest was McLaren's Lewis Hamilton in 2008, aged 23 and 301 days.
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Mid-season slump gave Vettel impetus
Sebastian Vettel believes his positive response to mid-season criticism was vital to him becoming Formula One's youngest World Champion.
The German Red Bull driver found himself in the firing line after the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa when a bungled overtaking manoeuvre on Jenson Button culminated in the 23-year-old spearing into the side of Button's McLaren.
The criticism that followed was particularly ferocious and it seemed at that stage Vettel was still too young and too raw to put together a season good enough to earn him the F1 drivers' title.
That incident, however, proved a turning point for both drivers as it was the beginning of the end for Button's title hopes.
For Vettel, however, it forced him to re-evaluate his situation, to seek out those he could trust for support and guidance believing he would be able to repay them at some point.
So it proved with Sunday's victory in Abu Dhabi, bringing with it the ultimate prize in motor sport.
"Coming into the year I had a clear goal, to win the Championship, and I was very focused on that, working very hard, harder than before," said Vettel.
"Maybe mid-season, I don't think I lost focus but maybe I became a bit tense as it wasn't always easy to come back after the way some of the things had gone and the way some races had developed.
"After what happened in Spa I got a lot of bad press in particular.
"It wasn't easy at that time, with a lot of people saying bad things and trying to knock us down.
"But that's when you realise who your friends are, who belongs to you and who is supporting you.
"It was important to invest my energy into them, in order to get it back.
"At some point I accepted the fact that sometimes things don't go your way, but in the long term there's something called justice.
"That is what has happened, at least in my calculation, and it has turned out to be right. Sometimes it goes that way."
In finding such a sense of well-being within himself and around him, Vettel was able to focus again on what mattered and that was simply to enjoy his driving.
There were still hills to climb, such as in Korea when his engine blew nine laps from home, handing the victory and initiative in the Championship to Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.
But overall Vettel has emerged a worthy Champion, claiming 10 pole positions and five grand prix wins this year, three of them in the final four races.
"It's important to be who you are and not try to be someone else," added Vettel.
"You just have to enjoy yourself because being happy at being able to do what you do reminds you of who you are."
If there is a piece of advice Vettel could pass on to anyone, no matter who they are or what they do, it would be "to find something you enjoy".
He added: "It doesn't matter if it's motor sport or football, if you find something where your head can switch off and you enjoy yourself no matter what you do, that's the key.
"You also need heart and passion, but the main thing is to have fun and just enjoy."
Vettel will revel in his moment of enjoyment, one that will carry him into next year and beyond as he has the opportunity at such a tender age to become one of the sport's greats.
"This season I kept believing in myself, in the team and I got a lot of positive energy from the people around me," said Vettel.
"As I've said, sometimes it's important to keep a cool head, and we knew what we had to do and what we wanted to do.
"With a bit of luck we achieved it."
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A lap of Yas Marina with Kubica
Renault's Robert Kubica takes us around the Yas Marina Circuit ahead of this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
"The Abu Dhabi track has an amazing appearance and it comes across very well on television. The hotel that is lit up in different colours looks spectacular and you can tell that a lot of money has been invested in this facility. When I walked the track for the first time last year, I thought it would offer a lot of overtaking opportunities, but actually there was a lot less action in the race than I expected.
"Having lots of wide run-off areas definitely doesn't help overtaking because it's much easier to defend your position. You know that even if you miss your braking point, you won't lose anything because you can cut the corner and stay ahead. Of course, you cannot do it every lap, but if there was a wall or a gravel trap instead, it might give the driver behind a better chance to overtake. But it can also work the other way, too, because the guy who is attacking can risk much more in the braking zones knowing that he has an escape path if the manoeuvre doesn't work out.
"One of the things I find annoying about this track is the number of off-camber corners, such as turns 16 and 17. In these corners it's very easy to get on the power and then lose traction and slide with the rear of the car, which can cost you a lot of time. So it's a very tricky track.
"The race starts in the early evening, so you have to change your visor strip to be ready for racing at dusk. The other issue I remember from last year was that we had all three practice sessions in daylight and then both qualifying and the race took place at dusk. That made it hard because the temperatures dropped and the track conditions were completely different, which had a big impact on car balance. But now we have the experience from last year and we know to make set-up changes to prepare for running in the evening.
"Although Abu Dhabi is the final race of the year, it doesn't mean we're all going on holiday as soon as it's over. A few days after the race all the teams will remain in Abu Dhabi for the first test on the new Pirelli tyres as we begin our preparations for 2011."
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Hamilton: Will help if others have troubles
Lewis Hamilton is enjoying his underdog status in the F1 title race, insisting it's better to attack than defend.
The British driver is third in the standings and needs outstanding finishes in the final two races to have a chance to win his second F1 title.
"It's easier to chase than it is to defend," Hamilton said, adding that he will be on attack all weekend long in his McLaren at the Brazilian Grand Prix. "I hope it pays off."
Hamilton is 21 points behind leader Fernando Alonso of Ferrari and 10 points behind Mark Webber of Red Bull. He said not having the pressure of being in front makes him extra confident going into Sunday's race.
"I don't know, but I feel really relaxed, energetic," Hamilton said. "It just feels right. We'll see how that translates through the weekend."
Hamilton believes he has a realistic chance of winning the title despite his point disadvantage, and acknowledged he wouldn't mind if the other title contenders faced some problems on the track Sunday.
"Would definitely help," he said. "But I never wish any negative on other people. I like a fair fight, so my main aim is just to get myself in the front."
He knows it will be hard to overcome the superiority of the Red Bulls, which have been dominant in nearly every track this season.
"They have a great car that will work well here," Hamilton said. "We have to focus on making sure we are in the closest position as possible to be able to fight."
Hamilton said McLaren is bringing a "strong package" to compete with Red Bull and Ferrari at the Brazilian GP and hopes it will be enough to keep the team up front.
"We are closing the gap," he said.
He thinks the weather may be a factor in Brazil, as it has been in nearly every race in South America's biggest city in recent years.
"The weather could be up and down, as it has been the last couple of years, so it's going to be tricky to everyone," Hamilton said. "But I don't think that it's going to be harder for us than it is for others."
The 25-year-old Hamilton clinched his title at Interlagos in 2008, making a pass under slippery conditions in the final lap to finish fifth and lift the trophy. He had lost the title after a poor race at the track a year earlier, and in 2009 he finished third despite starting 18th.
"I've had great experiences here," Hamilton said. "2008 was pretty awesome."
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Hamilton: I don't need Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton insists he would not feel short-changed in his F1 career should he never race for the Ferrari marque.
Hamilton has only ever raced for one Formula One team, McLaren, with whom he made his debut in 2007 and won the 2008 World Championship title.
And although on a long-term contract with the Woking team, Hamilton was recently asked about whether or not he would want to race for Ferrari one day.
"I was at McLaren last week looking around inside the factory," he told the Mirror, "it is such a professional team that I honestly can't see myself anywhere else.
"You never know what's going to happen and you can never say never. But I look at the cars, and of course we've not always had the best car.
"We've not always done a perfect job but it's a fantastic team with great history and I'm proud to be part of it, and I will be here for as long as they want to keep me."
The 25-year-old added: "A career can be complete without having been a Ferrari driver."
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Hamilton: Difficult but doable
Lewis Hamilton insists he can still win the World title despite a 28-point deficit to leader Mark Webber ahead of the Korean GP.
The 25-year-old Brit led the Championship after his third win of the season in Belgium in August but crashed out in Italy and Singapore before a gearbox malfunction saw him finish fifth in Japan a fortnight ago.
"It's going to be difficult but we'll do everything we can," said the 25-year-old McLaren driver, who has scored just 10 points in his last three races.
"I think my chances are quite good. It's not impossible to win - there's a lot of points still available - so I feel positive."
Formula One comes to South Korea for the first time Friday for the 17th event of this year's 19-race season, to be followed by races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.
Hamilton's race at Suzuka two weeks ago was a lost opportunity after he qualified in third behind the Red Bull duo of German Sebastian Vettel and Australian Webber.
A five-place penalty for McLaren changing the gearbox on his MP4-25 saw him start from eighth on the grid and he dropped to fifth late in the race after his new gearbox failed.
"There's some situations that I've been in that were unfortunate and you would have hoped they didn't happen, but they do, and that's character-building," he said.
"I don't think bad luck really exists - you make your own luck. Sometimes I have made mistakes and that can be perceived as bad luck, but that's a mistake.
"Sometimes the car will fail. I feel that this weekend that we've learned from a lot of our mistakes, and hopefully we'll be able to get back on the positive end."
The venue in Yeongam, a 5.6-kilometre (3.5-mile) track featuring a mix of corners, long straights and good overtaking opportunities, has been touted as Asia's best circuit.
The race is forecast to bring some 1.8 trillion won in "visible and invisible" economic benefits over seven years, although ticket sales have been slow.
McLaren chief engineer Phil Prew says Hamilton and team-mate Jenson Button, the reigning World Champion, need to finish on the podium in Korea to keep their title hopes alive.
"We've under-delivered points in the last couple of races," Prew said.
"The car has the pace and the potential to be competing, and finishing higher up than we've achieved recently.
"I think our target this weekend is very much to get on the podium - in fact, we need to be in front of Webber. We need two cars at the front, competing for the front row of the grid in qualifying, and then delivering a race result on the podium."
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Flav votes for Webber, discounts McLaren
Flavio Briatore has reiterated his belief that Red Bull Racing need to back Mark Webber for the Drivers' title.
Webber is currently leading the Drivers' Championship, 11 points ahead of Fernando Alonso while three other drivers, including his own team-mate Sebastian Vettel, are also still in the running.
However, Briatore fears that if Red Bull do not put their efforts behind Webber, Vettel may take points off his team-mate, which could ultimately cost the team the Drivers' title.
"I don't understand many things. Vettel has taken points away from Webber in Singapore, thus giving a present to Ferrari," he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
"Despite the fact that Mark was not on the ball in the last race and even fumbled the start, I find what's happening incomprehensible. Unless Red Bull, who has a big points gap, is aiming for the Constructors' Championship only."
As for Webber's main rival in the Championship, Briatore reckons double World Champion Alonso is arguably the best driver on the grid.
"He's the strongest, someone who knows how to take the team in the right direction. Without him Renault would not have taken two titles," said the Italian.
"Alonso is the world class racing driver we know, and Ferrari has demonstrated to be a great team in the last two races. Fernando contributed with his speed and his class, but the men in the garage added their ability in the pit stops. And the engineers have brought car developments that worked."
Briatore, however, wasn't as kind to Lewis Hamilton following the McLaren drivers's back-to-back retirements while he believes reigning World Champion Jenson Button, who is 25 points off the pace, is out of the running.
"Hamilton did it all by himself, his overtaking attempt on Webber at Singapore couldn't end up any other way. Two retirements in two races are heavy: it's not conceivable to throw away a season in this way.
"It's the second time it happens, because he also made decisive mistakes in 2007. Had he kept calm and waited, he'd still be in the fight now. Button? I can't see how he can get back in the fight."
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