Sebastian Vettel said his United States Grand Prix win – a record-breaking eighth consecutive victory in an F1 world championship race – was “incredible”.
Vettel took his 12th win of the season in the United States Grand Prix, the race in which he made his debut six years ago.
“To come back last year, finish on the podium, and today to win the race is incredible,” said Vettel. “It’s impossible to know what to say.”
“First of all thanks to the crowd, it’s unbelievable it’s only our second race here [at the Circuti of the Americas] and we’ve got more than a hundred thousand people coming here on Sunday.”
“I think this is one of the best races we have all season. The whole city is going crazy so it’s phenomenal to race here for the crowd.”
Vettel’s chances of winning only really looked in doubt on the run to the first corner when Romain Grosjean attacked and split the two Red Bulls.
“It was a bit tight at the start,” said Vettel. “Romain had a good start initially, I didn’t know whether it would be enough. Tough judgement up the hill.
“And then I just tried to focus on myself. We had incredible pace again in the car and I could control the gaps.”
2013 United States Grand Prix
- Bottas claims first Driver of the Weekend vote win
- Second race at COTA gets much lower rating
- 2013 US GP Predictions Championship results
- 2013 United States Grand Prix fans’ video gallery
- 2013 United States Grand Prix team radio transcript
Image © Red Bull/Getty
danclapp (@danclapp)
17th November 2013, 21:21
It sure is 9 next week i think next year cant come soon enough for me, Web gained 8 tenths in 1 sector when he overtook Ham, it really is a rocket ship.
iAltair (@)
17th November 2013, 21:36
Then he wins in 2014 Australian Grand Prix to score 10, and I bet many people will rage at their TV screens.
TMF (@)
17th November 2013, 21:44
@ialtair had the same thought – a few chairs will be thrown at TVs if that happens :)
crr917 (@crr917)
17th November 2013, 22:40
the real crisis will come if Vettel reaches 11 – not enough fingers :)
Malik (@)
17th November 2013, 21:36
@danclapp: Webber was using all KERS plus DRS in sector 1
and if your point is true why didn’t Webber overtake Grosjean???
mnmracer (@mnmracer)
17th November 2013, 21:54
[insert conspiracy theory {insert random number 1-69}]
Maksutov (@maksutov)
18th November 2013, 6:30
69
Nick (@nick-uk)
17th November 2013, 21:31
I think you may as well have merged this with the other article ‘Vettel cruises to USA win etc’ Both the same core topic, both articles even have the same pitcure haha.
Maksutov (@maksutov)
18th November 2013, 6:31
+1
Anele (@anele-mbethe)
17th November 2013, 22:08
We are witnessing the makings of a legend. Best driver on the grid this year without a doubt
Patrick (@paeschli)
17th November 2013, 22:17
Yep, only driver who made no errors throughout all the season, finished all his races in the top 4 (except Silverstone of course), who can deny he deserved his fourth title?
BasCB (@bascb)
17th November 2013, 22:38
Not sure we are actually witnessing it @anele-mbethe.
I do know that I was playing an MMO game with my brother and a friend having the race in the background, and I am pretty sure there are many others who have given up on watching.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
17th November 2013, 22:43
@bascb I have to agree for P1 at least: it’s getting to the point today where my friend asked me who won and I simply said “you know”.
BasCB (@bascb)
17th November 2013, 22:51
Yeah, it much the same for me. I would normally watch the race, because use to I find something worthwhile to watch and interesting to see (Bottas drive, that lovely pass from Button, a bit of defensive driving etc), but I can understand why people are not all that thrilled about another race when the result seems to be clear days before the race itself.
Garion Higgs (@gazz)
17th November 2013, 23:45
As much as I dislike Vettel, I have to respect him hugely.
You often see people downplay his achievements, as I have in the past, saying others would have bettered him, had they had a red bull at their disposal, and that he doesn’t deserve wins, championships even.
It’s comments like “Fernando should have won it in 2012” and “Mark/Jenson/Lewis/Fernando had bad luck in 2010 and any should have gotten it over Vettel” that make me think, “Fernando and Lewis, whom Vettel are often compared to are outstanding talents, Vettel is a true legend.
You cannot justify that his performance this year has been less than outstanding and that he has deserved every point.
That is coming from a Lewis Hamilton fan.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
17th November 2013, 23:58
Well said @gazz, great comment.
Anele (@anele-mbethe)
18th November 2013, 4:43
I’ll never let any driver’s dominance destroy my love for formula one. I have a genuine interest in how all drivers perform so I enjoy most races from start to finish
Colossal Squid (@colossal-squid)
18th November 2013, 0:17
I’m not particularly enjoying F1 at the moment, even though I do still love it. A lot of that has to be placed at the fact that we’ve had one guy dominating the Championship and winning 8 races in a row.
This isn’t a criticism at Vettel, what he has now achieved will be remembered for decades. While I’m not having as much fun watching Vettel win as I would a close fight for the lead of a race, I’m still in awe of being able to witness this. It’s historic and record breaking. As a fan of F1 and its history I think it’s a spectacular thing to see, even if it means that the racing is unspectacular as a result.
d3v0 (@d3v0)
18th November 2013, 2:10
His radio during the donuts had me tearing up.