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| The 2011 F1 season is pacing towards its end, but if you thought that the excitement was over with Sebastian Vettel becoming the youngest driver to bag two championships in a row, think again |
F1 isn’t all about going out on track revving up the engines to go flat out on
perfectly laid tarmac; there is more to it than meets the eye. It is a sport of numbers;
the possibility of breaking a record in almost every race is always lurking alongside the
drivers. Records can be broken, new benchmarks can be set in every race, on every circuit.
Fastest lap times, best finishes for rookie drivers and more records can be broken in
almost every grand prix weekend but the last two races of the 2011 season has much more in
store than these records.
Thanks to Vettel and Red Bull wrapping up the season with four and three races to spare
respectively, the two have an opportunity to break numerous records before the end of the
season.
With a pole position in the Grand Prix of India, Vettel equals the record of 13 pole
positions in a single season with Ayrton Senna (1988 and 1989) and Alain Prost (1993),
being second only to Nigel Mansell (1992) who has a record number of 14 pole positions in
a season. Vettel's pole at the inaugral Grand Prix of India gives the Red Bull racing
driver just two races to set another record by his name, a task which seems easily
achievable for the German going by the form that he has been carrying in the season so
far. The 2011 drivers’ champion has also equaled Alain Prost (1993), Damon Hill
(1996) and Ayrton Senna’s (1989) record of 16 starts from the front row in a season,
one more front row start and Red Bull’s blue eyed boy will have another record in
his bag.
If Vettel continues his winning spree in the last two races of the season,
the Red Bull driver will equal Michael Schumacher’s record of most wins in a season
with 13 victories in 2004 and he also holds the record most laps led in a season with 711
laps in the 2011 season.
With Vettel’s pole position at the Indian Grand prix, Red Bull broke
McLaren’s and William’s record of maximum pole positions by a team in a season
with Mark Webber and Vettel together securing 16 pole positions in this season.
So if you thought that Red Bull and Vettel are going to take a relaxed trip
to the end of the season and start focusing and developing their new car for the 2012
season, you couldn’t have been more wrong. Going by the way Vettel has continued his
marvelous performance even after sealing the drivers’ championship I would say the
energy drink team champion wants more than just a championship victory.
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