Vettel: ‘Money can motivate but it won’t make you happy’

F1 Fanatic round-up

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Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 2011

In the round-up: Sebastian Vettel says he appreciates he’s “very fortunate” to be racing for a living.

Links

Top F1 links from the past 24 hours:

Sebastian Vettel: ‘You need passion. Money will never make you happy’ (The Guardian)

“If you go to work every morning just because you need a cheque at the end of the month it’s not great. Money can be a motivation but it will never make you happy. Obviously, racing in F1, all of us are very fortunate because we’re doing something we loved as a child and now it’s our job – and we earn good money. So for us, as drivers, it’s great. And when you’re successful it becomes even better.”

Marussia debut new car pending final crash test (Reuters)

Pat Symonds: “The component in question has actually passed an ‘unobserved’ crash test but has been performing inconsistently in the observed tests.”

Jenson Button believes new McLaren will challenge Red Bull’s F1 reign (The Guardian)

“Last year we had problems with the exhaust. We also had the problem that we just weren’t very fast, even when the exhaust did work. Maybe that was kept secret. But we just weren’t very fast.”

A quick catch-up (Joe Saward)

“David Campbell, the CVC-appointed head of Allsport Management, [has] left his role at Allsport management after just over a year. He had taken over to replace Patrick McNally.”

De la Rosa the new GPDA chairman (Autosport)

“The agreement we had at the end of last season was that if Rubens [Barrichello] would not be in Formula 1, then I would take over.”

Work without a break with Australian GP in sight (Ferrari)

Stefano Domenicali: “It’s obvious that we can’t be happy with how the test went considering or goals, but let’s not forget that the championship still has to start.”

Sky Sports in pole position to continue BBC F1 revolution (Daily Mail)

“From riding with one of four selected drivers, to an overview of the pit-lane (a first, we’re being told), a driver tracker, social media interaction via Twitter, and timing screen, Sky are set to dramatically change our Formula One viewing experience.”

March 5: On Barrichello, Andretti and Danica (IndyStar)

“As for meeting Barrichello, you’re certainly far more likely to have an encounter with him in [IndyCar]. I’ve been to a fair share of F1 races and still didn’t see some of the drivers in the paddock despite having the right credentials.”

Comment of the day

Mike reckons HRT have made little progress over the winter:

People are getting rather excited about this car, and I do support HRT strongly, but it is very, very similar to last years, in that most of the chassis is the same.

You can see that there are only minor changes made, the nose is new, however the front win is the same, along with most of the car. The rear wing has be redesigned. That’s good. And the billboard is gone.

Having said that, for HRT to have development on the bodywork at all is a very good sign for the health of the team.
Mike

From the forum

Site updates

Apologies for any confusion arising from the move to the new server yesterday.

During the move some users were briefly unable to see the new site. This caused some confusion as people mistakenly believed forum posts had been deleted.

There was a further problem which led to a number of comments that were posted yesterday being lost in the transfer. My apologies again for this oversight which should have been avoided.

The site is now up and running on its new server which will hopefully provide better stability and faster access.

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Bac!

If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.

On this day in F1

The rule requiring drivers to use both types of tyre compound during a race was introduced five years ago today.

Has it been a worthwhile addition to the sport? F1 Fanatic readers don’t seem to think so – 83% opposed the rule when we had a poll on it last year:

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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66 comments on “Vettel: ‘Money can motivate but it won’t make you happy’”

  1. Few articles from yesterday still arent appearing for me? Lost in server switch?

      1. They appear to have come back now, although comments not there (bound to happen in this situation) =)

      2. OmarR-Pepper (@)
        6th March 2012, 13:00

        you posted pics from Catalunya test which were all marked with the “X” like they didn’t load

        1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
          6th March 2012, 13:03

          …which are fixed today. Oops!

  2. i wonder where mercedes and ferrari will qualify in Melbourne? could we have a shock with rosberg p2 and alonso p8? or there abouts…

    1. Who knows? Can any experts actually tell us what is most likely? I have the feeling McLaren are very quiet that they are sitting on a really good racing car. But if its as close as all the talk suggests, then it could really be a mixed up top 10! Any slip ups, and one of the top teams could be in the midfield, and any midfield teams that perform really well, could be easily in the top 10. But more than likely its going to be Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes and Lotus trying to fight for those positions?

      1. I would change Mercedes to Force India…

        1. I would remove Ferrari, looks like that they have not only produced an ugly car but one that is only good for one good timed lap on all the tyre choices.

    2. I understood many of the people analysing testing rather had the impression Alonso could be really quick in the Ferrari in a single lap, but fail the consistency to make it work over a race distance.

      That would mean Alonso might be able to qualify rather further forward come Melbourne.

    3. How shocking would it be seeing Kimi grabbing pole position?

  3. Ferrari clearly wanted to win out of the box. But that is the risk you take with a car that is not well understood because it is so different to what they are familiar with. We will see how quickly they can come to grips with finding performance, and if they can actually develop the exhaust layout that they said would be faster. Their only chance is if the top teams all take points off eachother in the first four races, and they will then be hoping they have a car that can challenge for consistent wins after that. If not, it doesn’t look good.

    1. I’ve heard that Ferrari are only quicker than Williams and Caterham at the moment (and by definition HRT and Marussia too.)

      I’ve also heard Vettel’s front wing broke not because he went off, but because it vibrated itself loose…

      1. Well, Brundle and some others said that based on testing (which is meaningless, as they mentioned) the order for them would be: Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari and then the rest leaded by Lotus.

        I really doubt Ferrari has completely lost it… I think they’ll reach Q3 easily at Melbourne.

        1. Kinda funny how everyone including myself has to qualify our speculative order in the field by saying you can’t go by testing…so if you can’t go by testing, what are we all (including Brundle et al) basing it on?

          Obviously it’s based on what we have seen in testing, and heard, as others including drivers do their own speculation.

          I think Brundle’s suggested order is probably similar to what the majority of people think, and it’s probably not a real stretch based on testing but also based on last year. Red Bull doesn’t look to have designed themselves into something slower (other than them all suffering from no EBD of course)…Mac looks like they have started off on a much better footing than they did last year at this time…Merc certainly seems to have improved and have been quite reliable. Lotus seems to be half decent too. Same with Force India. But of course improvement is relative…Merc might still be a 4th place team in the WCC but closer to 3rd than they were.

          I think they all have to show us yet how their different tires are going to behave in the heat of Australia on Sunday…and at all the different venues…how about their fuel economy which certainly seemed to be an issue last year for the likes of NR as one example…reliability I think seems pretty solid in recent years for the most part for the top 6 teams even if pace isn’t there…and then there of course is the potential for collisions, especially if the field is as close as many are hoping and projecting for…some teams are simply stronger at some types of venues than at others…some tracks are more abrasive than others and will require some teams forced to be on tires the majority of the time that their cars don’t like as much…etc etc…I’m probably preaching to the choir here.

          As to Ferrari…I think they will come out stronger than we have been led to believe, and I don’t mean they have been sandbagging, imho…I think that people are taking their comments about not being happy to mean the car is slow, but I think they are mostly not happy that they have lacked the time they hoped they wouldn’t need in tweeking this package, and only may be intitially down on pace due to that, not because it is not in the car at all…they hoped they nailed it out of the box and they didn’t…but I think they will find their way with this car sooner than later, and I don’t think if it takes them the first four races they will still be screwed. There will be plenty of races for them to compete, and if they find their way with this car and start soon knocking on the door of 2nd (for example) in the WCC standings, and if Red Bull aren’t running away with everything at every race, then Ferrari will be fine.

          Just saying I could easily be wrong of course but I just have this gut feeling that Ferrari just needs a little more time. And they have it. It’s a long season and anything can happen and usually does. As a top resourced team, I’m going to assume for now that they have developed something that has the potential to be better than last year’s effort…and besides, as I and others have pointed out, they had no choice so it is what it is, and all they can do is what all teams are doing all the time anyway whether they are dominant or not…putting their noses to the grindstone and trying their level best to improve.

          1. Just wanted to add, Ferrari’s apparent unhappiness may only be coming from a place where they ideally wanted to be trouncing Red Bull’s right out of the box, as their best-case scenario. And why shouldn’t that have been the goal as it should have been for all teams besides Red Bull. So maybe when they are expressing concerns it is only because they haven’t appeared to do that out of the box, they’ll have to work at it some more. Doesn’t mean to me they won’t get there. Since when is it a given that a departure from a team’s previous car is nailed right out of the box and doesn’t provide a new learning curve?

  4. I must say I was fuming when I first heard about the Sky deal. But I must say, I am already impressed with their coverage of testing and their website is miles better than what BBC ever offered. I have convinced my parents to get me the Sky Sports collection on Virgin as part of my 21st Bday present and now I’m really looking forward to seeing what they have to offer.

    On the subject of my Bday, the other part of my present is 2, 3-day General Admission tickets to the British GP for me and my GF. I have asked in the forum about what times to turn up at the circuit each day etc. as it is my first ever GP. If anyone could pop on their and answer (or here) that would be great :P

    1. Tom Haxley (@)
      6th March 2012, 7:59

      Can your parents adopt me please? My birthdays consist of socks and jumpers…

      1. Whats on the guide so far looks amazing, its just like wall to wall great content. Lets hope it keeps up!

        Good that you have full sports, it would be a crime not to watch Indy!!!

    2. Its best to camp at the circuit (Whittlebury Park is probably the best incl facilities) that way you avoid the traffic that WILL build up on the surrounding roads each day. The whole weekend will be a lot more relaxing that way and you can enjoy the event in your own time. Plus the atmosphere is brilliant on the campsites!

  5. @keithcollantine Did you already post your winning caption for the Schumi-Nico picture? Might’ve just missed it.

    1. @journeyer Yep – that was 1 or 2 roundups ago

      1. I know he had extended it but in the round up from 05/03/2012 I can’t find the winer

        1. LIke I said – ONE or TWO roundups ago.

  6. I think money, may not make you happy, but, it will definatly buy you a better quality of unhappness.

    1. Sebs clearly not living in the recession hit world right now, probably along with a number of drivers. Money will make me happy, it will allow me to buy a house (finally) and live a comfty lifestyle. That said, Id also like to have a double WDC to my name too, so he might still have a point ;)

      1. Yeah money does not buy happiness true, but it would take away allot of the causes of stress for most people. Then add a few too I would Imagen.

        1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
          6th March 2012, 13:08

          Yeah @sjm I wanna be on the cover of Forbes Magazine, standing next to Oprah and the Queen… Well it’s not a secret money solves (most of, 99.9%) of your problems, but I would accept Sebastian Vettel’s job without a nickle at all. It’s just so amazing! Of course I can’t bear 4G on my neck, I can’t bear Helmut Marko and I can’t bear people who hate my finger every time I win a race or championship

  7. oops, unhappyness.

    1. unhappiness.

  8. Keith, letting you know that downloading certainly seems much faster today than in the past.

  9. Wow. I would never have expected such an answer from a 24 year old in an interview.

    1. Well it’s not like he’s only earning 20k a year living on beans on toast with a big rental payment on a flat he shares with someone else he doesn’t like.

      Vettel has already earned a comfortable amount of money not to worry about things like mortgages and living expenses. So, I’m not surprised at all.

  10. Quite a mature answer from Vettel, and good questions being asked as well.

    You can instantly tell that is a more mature thought out article than we usually see.

    In terms of the whole money thing, it’s been said that one needs a modicum of money to have a good life (which is different from happy). And I’m inclined to agree.

    1. To be truely happy you only need to be slightly richer, thinner and successful than your friends. That’s what a university study said anyway.

    2. those kind of 1 on 1 interviews are much more interesting than the media briefings where they trot out the usual PR lines much of the time. I thought it was a really interesting interview, interesting to read Vettel’s thoughts

    3. I really enjoyed reading it. Makes me wonder why the teams don’t let these drivers have a bit of talk like that more often.

      Just as in the top gear show Vettel just shines with maturity, wit and being a nice guy to be around.

  11. Sky advert is a technicolour slow mo fest with surround sound.

    BBC advert is a crappy black an white sound bite, with slaughted strains of the Chain…

    Signs of things to come?

  12. Theres nothin like a multi millionare telling you money isnt everything

    1. The simple answer is because it’s not!

      1. It just buys you a better class of enemy. Thanks Spike.

        1. Spike?

          1. It’s a quote from the Bard of Woy Woy, Spike Milligan.

  13. Of course you won’t get much happier if you already earn loads of money. When you already get 10 millions per year, I’d say make a move to a less competitive team earning 15 is clearly a bad move…

    1. @JCost I think the point he’s making is he’d rather drive a Red Bull for 10,000 a month rather than an HRT for 30 million a year.

  14. Here you have an article written by Luigi Mazzola ex-head of test team in Ferrari, with some conclusions after the tests. The article is written in italian, but you can use google translate (or whatever other instrument) for translation.

    It seems, according to his conclusions, Kimi will have a good car for fighting for podiums… Bad news are RBR will dominate again this season with a big margin.

      1. Thanks, interesting article.

  15. Oh Seb, if was a professional racing driver I too would say that money isn’t everything and you have to do a job which you really love. HOWEVER, for the vast majority of us, we do the jobs we do, which we don’t necessarily enjoy, because we need to earn a living.

    1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
      6th March 2012, 13:14

      Whatever Seb says, it’s seen as wrong for some people, is it?

    2. Don’t missunderstand him on purpose.

      He’s not trying to rub it in, that he’s got money. He knows, that he’s blessed, that he can earn a nice sum of money doing what he likes. Our motivation to do those 9-5 jobs is money, which we need for a living. If we had the choice to do something else, that actually makes us happy, we’d do it instantly, even if it means we would earn a bit less (as long as we’re able to pay the rent)

      And he’s right. I know a few people who really do not have to worry about tomorrow, or the recession. More like which of their 6+ cars to drive on the weekend. And certainly, they don’t have to worry about money, but it’s absolutely fantastic what sort of other problems they come up with every day.

      1. Once the subject came up at all, there was literally nothing he could say that would not make some people angry.

  16. I would just like to express my sadness that I won’t be watching qualifing at Melbourne this year due to not being able to justify getting Sky with my family costs and also trees (!) preventing me getting RTL using a dish. I guess we had it good for quite a long time here in the UK and now the reality of the free market has hit fanatics such as myself.

    You may say I’m not a fanatic because I don’t pay, but when you have children and a mortgage and hanging on financially, those things come first. So be it. I’m still looking forward to James Allen on radio 5 so hopefully I can use my imagination to picture the action. I still have f1fanatic live too of course ;)

    1. Sad to hear that, maybe Vettel should donate you some money to get Sky, after all money won’t make him happy! ;)

      1. haha OEL F1 :)

    2. @John H

      Allen’s partner on radio 5 will be Jamie Alguersuari, to be announced later today so sounds good.

      If you don’t mind breaking the rules there are a lot of good internet streams for Sky, Speed or RTL coverage of F1.

    3. @john-h I’m with you too John H. I can’t justify the cost with all the other expenses I have.

      1. @oel-f1 @Chalky @snowman

        Thanks for the comments guys. Love the suggestion to ask Vettel if he can donate something! The news that DJ Alguersuari will be alongside James Allen sounds great, I always liked his attitude and intelligence in interviews the last couple of years.

        Will give it a bash snowman although I fear there maybe more traffic than those streams are used to come Melbourne. I guess there’s more chance of finding a working one for quali than the race however. Either way, hopefully my circumstances will change next year and I can get a dish for 2013.

        1. John H…I believe it is highly honourable of you to put your family first, and therefore what goes around comes around. I think you will project that honourable lifestyle and attitude and goodness will come your way because of it, and you will sooner than later be back to being able to watch F1 live. Your kids are already rich for having an honourable Dad as a role model who puts them first.

  17. Regarding the “on this day” snippet about the tyres, I really think that with the Pirelli tyres this is a completely un-necessary rule. Most of the teams/drivers will not be able to make a set of tyres last a full race distance, so there is no need to force ‘artificial’ pit-stops. If a team manages to get through a race on just 3 sets of ‘option’ tyres then well done to them. Does the rule enhance ‘the show’ (as Bernie likes to put it)? No, not really.

  18. Crikey, people are getting really defensive about their own financial/work situations aren’t they?

    He’s not having a go at anyone, just saying that if you put your mind to it you can be in a position to build a career doing something you enjoy. Simple as.

    I enjoyed the interview with him. Made for a good read. He does have his head screwed on very well for someone 3 months younger than me. Long may it continue, though I expect that things will get tougher for him in the future.

  19. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    6th March 2012, 13:11

    Maybe that was kept secret. But we just weren’t very fast

    Yes Jenson, It was a kept secret your team couldn’t challenge RedBull on a regular basis last year.

    1. Can’t wait until March 2013 when we find out what they really thought about the testing that just concluded :)

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