The inevitable happened on late afternoon of 27th October, Sunday, when German driver Sebastian Vettel stormed to his sixth consecutive Grand Prix victory at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida. A number of industry experts were betting on a Vettel win but the manner in which the Red Bull Racing driver did it was just amazing. The German came into this race in superb form and statistics on his side as he was also the defending champion. Needless to say, Vettel produced a scintillating performance to enthral the audience, which had come to see their favourite Formula One stars. It must be noted that a lot of controversy had been surrounding this race due to the Indian Grand Prix being pulled off the 2014 calendar. However, the race turned out to be a success, receiving wide appreciation from everyone.
The win at the 2013 Indian Grand Prix capped off a fourth consecutive world title for Sebastian Vettel, who became only the third man in F1 history to do so, following legendary racers Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher. Incredibly, Vettel was around half a minute clear of all his rivals when he crossed the finishing line at a reasonably pleasant afternoon in Greater Noida. Not only did the German win the race, he won the hearts of spectators at the circuit by showing off his skills behind the wheels. Vettel, normally not associated with showing his feelings, was really emotional in the after race press conference, revealing what it felt like. A world- class racer and a true champion, Vettel has not got the love of fans he feels he deserves. In fact, strangely, he was booed at races held in Belgium, Singapore, Canada and Britain, where he won the titles.
An emotional Vettel spoke about how he felt after winning the Indian Grand Prix and subsequently, claiming his fourth world title. He also expressed his love for India and the good time he has enjoyed in the country, winning on all three occasions held in the country. "It (India) is a pretty special place to the win the championship. Winning the title in Brazil last year was special too. It was a crazy race. But to win in a place like this will stay with me forever. The place teaches you so much. I don't know what to say, I crossed the line and I was just empty. You want to think of something to say and I just can't. It has been an amazing season, the spirit in the team is great and it is a pleasure to jump in the car and drive,” he was quoted as saying.
Along with Sebastian Vettel winning the driver’s title, his team Red Bull Racing won its fourth consecutive constructor’s championship. Things have been fairly one sided as far as the Formula One Championship is concerned as Red Bull Racing has dominated in quite some style. There has been a lot of demand for changes in regulations to make the championship much more competitive. The race ended in despair for Mark Webber as he limped off in lap 39 due to an alternator failure. Now, the rest of the season remains to be a formality as winners have already been decided. It would be interesting to see if Vettel can win the remaining races to equal the record for most consecutive victories.
