Sebastian Vettel can make his 100th Formula One race a historic one by being crowned the youngest triple world champion on Sunday in Texas.
The 25-year-old German and his Red Bull team could make it a night for double celebrations if they take both the drivers’ and teams’ titles in a country where he made his debut as a baby-faced 19-year-old stand-in at Indianapolis in 2007.
That last United States Grand Prix, five years ago, was won by Briton Lewis Hamilton of McLaren and, this time around, he will once again be a major contender for victory in his second-last race for the team before he leaves for Mercedes.
But championship leader Vettel and Hamilton know they face a challenge this weekend from two-time champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari who is 10 points behind the German in the title race and still convinced he can secure his own third title.
Finn Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus, victorious in Abu Dhabi, will also be a threat.
Vettel, who replaced Pole Robert Kubica at BMW Sauber in 2007, managed to qualify seventh and finish eighth, his single point for that feat making him F1’s youngest points-scorer – a record that he still holds.
As he looked ahead to this weekend’s showdown at the virtually-unknown Circuit of the Americas, a purpose-built track 24km from Austin city centre, he admitted he could hardly believe it.
“It’s all gone so quickly,” he said.
“One hundred is a big number – 100 grands prix sounds a lot: 100 starts, 100 times surviving the first corner. If I reflect on it, it doesn’t feel so long ago that I broke into Formula One…
“That shows me that time flies when you do something that you really like and enjoy, so let’s focus on the second 100!”
Typically, Vettel has not dwelled on the various permutations that could land him the title this weekend.
He knows that with a 10-point lead, he can secure the title with a victory this weekend and that is his clear goal. He goes into the race with two races – worth a maximum of 50 points for two wins available – remaining.
He has 255 points to Alonso’s 245.
In spite of his extraordinary success in the past three seasons, there are many who still find it difficult to pour praise on Vettel and, this week, that list grew longer with the addition of 1997 drivers’ champion Canadian Jacques Villeneuve.
Villeneuve, however, said he felt Vettel is almost invincible if he can lead a race from the front.
“I have no doubts – Fernando Alonso is the best, that’s why I root for him,” Villeneuve told Autosprint magazine.
“Seb is super quick, but there is a difference with Fernando that emerges in case of an unfavourable situation.
“Alonso remains calm, cool and rational, while Vettel most times gets upset, angry, screams and flicks the middle finger. He reacts like a child.”
