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Vettel takes a bow
Monday 15 September 2008
Despite the Drivers’ Championship being impossibly tight at the top, all attention on Sunday was on the young man way down in ninth place.
The Italian Grand Prix won't be remembered for Lewis Hamilton clawing his way up to seventh place after a disastrous 15th spot on the starting grid. Nor will it be remembered for Felipe Massa cutting Hamilton's lead at the top of the table to a single point.
Instead, it will be remembered as the coming out party for another young hotshot - Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel, who followed up a brilliant poll position with an equally stunning victory, becoming the youngest man ever to win a Formula One Grand Prix, at just 21 years of age.
In bad conditions, Vettel took advantage of his leading spot to open up a big lead on Heikki Kovalainen, who, like everyone except for Vettel, had a wall of spray to contend with.
"This was a fantastic race, a fantastic weekend with pole as well and a fantastic strategy this afternoon," said an understandably ecstatic Vettel after the race. "I will never forget these feelings. It is so unbelievable. It is better than I had ever expected.
"We were very fast in a straight line because we didn't go for high downforce as we thought it might be dry, so we stayed on the dry level. Being out in front with no visibility problems was the key and I could build up a solid gap to Heikki straightaway.
"Then I was pushing very hard, maybe going over the limit sometimes and I nearly lost the car. In the last stint I was in a very good position on the intermediate tyre. I couldn't believe it when it kept saying ‘P1' on my board. But I kept my focus and kept pushing so as not to lose concentration.
"A perfect weekend."
(Photo © BMW AG)
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