Oct 2011: Vettel Does Pirelli Proud

Emotions ran high at the recently concluded Japanese Grand Prix, as Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel laid hands on his second consecutive Formula One World Championship title on Pirelli tyres.

A Winner All The Way

Vettel has been on a high since the beginning of this year winning most of his races. This consistent performance on his part enabled him to make the special Formula One Championship Title his own this year despite clocking in at the third place at the race behind winner Jensen Button and Fernando Alonso. No one even noticed the fact that Vettel did not win this one as he was busy creating records.

Formula One Gets a New Record

By being crowned the World Formula One Champion the second time in row, this 24 year old German driver has made a permanent place for himself in Formula One history as the youngest person to have achieved this feat.

Over the long history of Formula One championships, Vettel is only the ninth driver to bag the back to back World Championship title and the 15th to have won more than one championship. Given Vettel’s current form and performance, it is natural to expect that the near future of Formula One will be exciting and exhilarating.

A Tough Champion

Vettel won his Championship with four races to spare. According to him, the secret of his success is to keep racing, irrespective of anything or everything. Following this policy in totality, Vettel has been the only driver to compete in all 15 races this season. At the Japanese Grand Prix, Vettel won five of the six races he participated in. Vettel however has no intention of resting on his laurels.

At the post race press conference, Vettel made it clear that this is just the beginning and acknowledged his hunger to win and push himself to set higher and more demanding targets. Suddenly records which don’t look so invincible anymore include Fangio’s win of five championships and Schumacher’s seven.

Pirelli Tyres in the Spotlight

The occasion is cause for celebration at Pirelli Tyres because it marks the return of Pirelli back on the Formula One circuit.

To be part of Vettel’s record breaking achievements is something the company is justifiably proud of. Pirelli, well known for their premium racing tyres are happy with the overall results, their tyres have produced for the team, standing well to the demands of the challenging circuit at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Tyre Wear – A Crucial Factor

The Suzuka race course at the Japanese Grand Prix 2011 is an extremely demanding circuit with a circuit length of 5.807 km. The total race distance was 307.471 km. Given these features of the racing track with its high lateral loads, it was a foregone conclusion that tyre wear would be a crucial factor.

The top three drivers all stopped three times. As per Pirelli company officials, the wear associated with the tyres and the consequent degradation evidenced on the tyres were within the expected levels. In fact, two to three pit stops were expected on this circuit.