Another great article!

The media seem quite quick to jump on 'hype bandwagon' at the smallest hint of talent. It happened with Hamilton, even before he entered F1. Yeah he showed great talent in GP2, but as we've seen GP2 talent doesn't always convert into F1 talent (Romain Grosjean springs to mind).

It's the same story with Nico Hulkenberg. Pundits were calling him the next big thing. He's doing ok with the car he's been given, but you can't comment on his talent until you've seen more than a handful of results.

Vettel's the same, as you point out. Calling him the next Schumacher piles on unnecessary pressure. He's shown some amazing promise and I don't doubt he's a future champion, but he needs to grow-up a little. He isn't as mature as he needs to be, his comments in the closing stages of the Canadian Gp prove that, when he asked what the quickest lap was so he could try and beat it - can you imagine Alonso or Webber doing that?

Interesting, However when has Vettel finished mid-field? He hasn't this year unlike Button and Alonso.

He's had a bad run of races and also A LOT of car problems, he was driving brilliant at the start of the year and proved his talent. 

Turkey was a crazy event but hopefully he'll put it behind him now and get his title challenge back on track.

Vettel is too young, that's his problem. He needs to mature for another year or so and then try to become champion. Those S.O.Bs at Red Bull are pushing him too hard, too fast.

The paragraph listing all his mistakes is accurate (although not so convinced about the Kubica incident), but the way you present them makes it sound like he's been making them very frequently. You can do the same with Hamilton or Alonso or anyone on the grid. It doesn't mean they're not good drivers.

This year he has suffered mechanical problems of some sort at every race, apart from one, and that one he won.

Vettel has no shortage of talent, maturity however...

You make his 2008 season just sound like he kind of lucked into the win, which granted was fortunate, but what about all the other amazing results in the Toro Rosso? He consistently had points finishes that his team mate could not come close to, in that one race Bourdais was very unlucky but you make it sound like Vettel only outshone him based on that one race. Compare their finishes:

Again in 2009 he out drove his team mate, and although this year Webber is leading the way Vettel has had considerably more car troubles but not taking that into account he has the lowest average finishing position. So I'd say his talent is by no means what-so-ever exaggerated, not in the slightest, the only problem is he maturity, but what can you expect from a 22 year old with a sense of humour, I'm glad he's not a robot and shows emotion even if it can sometimes be a bit immature.

So when you say "A driver's whole career cannot be defined by one or two individual performances" I can't understand what you've been watching for the last 2 years as he's done much better than just have one or two  good races.

I think it's now far too easy for people to knock him while he's down, it seems to be something the British love to do and I'm not sure why. I guess it's a cultural thing but it's so ridiculous, when Button was winning he was amazing, as soon as he started finishing more midfield the headlines changed to say did we expect too much, can he cut it, was it him or the car? etc. Same with Hamilton. It's ridiculous. Drives me crazy!!

Everyone just pounces on a story and brings up the negative things and ignore the positives. No offence but I think this article is just jumping on the band wagon because right now knocking Vettel is the 'in' thing to do.

Thank you all for your comments. I began writing this article with the intent of causing constructive discussion, and it appears that i have succeeded.

I appreciate both the compliments and the criticisms given. I'll try answer a few questions  that have been asked.

@TommyB: For some people, the term "mid-field" has a different meaning to others. I prefer to look at the area relative to the speed and competitiveness of the vehicle being driven. Because of this view, i've labeled the several mid-points paying results he [Vettel] has finished in between the Hungarian round of 2009, and the most recent race, Canada in 2010, as "mid-field". I understand your curiosity on the use of the term in such a manner, but i hope this has answered your question.

@Ino: I apologise if my listing of the incidents has been understood in the manner you described. I simply decided to list his more-notable incidents, rather than to make the article somewhat-boring by going into arguments and statistics about the incidents.

I am curious at your comment, "This year he has suffered mechanical problems of some sort at every race, apart from one,", however. At the first two rounds of the season, Sebastian was very, very unlucky with mechanical problems. He had dominated Bahrain from pole position until an engine issue arose and at Melbourne had remained in the lead despite Button (who was still some way back) gaining a large advantage on another compound of tyres, until a brake failure. In Spain his brakes once-again failed to be consistent, but he lost no on-track position because of it.  Since then, however, i cannot note one proven issue with his vehicle that hasn't occurred to his teammate.

After he had been beaten by his teammate for two-straight races, it was announced that Red Bull (who should have dismantled his car between each race, at least once) found a rather major problem with the chassis. There's argument as to whether or not this is actually factual, but the damage would most-likely have occurred when he decided to take to the run-off, and drive over the "speed-bumps", when evading Lewis Hamilton's Mclaren. As this is the case (if you choose to believe the issue was factual) it was - in the end - Vettel's doing.

In Turkey he had no issues, except for in qualifying (which may have been caused when he straight-lined the chicane at Turn 9) and his race ended when he collided with his teammate.
And lastly, he was again outqualified by his teammate in Canada - who subsequently took a 5-place grid penalty for a gearbox replacement - with no mechanical issues and finished only one place in front of the Australian.

And lastly, but certainly not leastly, @F1 Fan:
I attempted to try and not tarnish his 2008 win. The comments "Make no mistake: Sebastian's drive at that particular Grand Prix was an incredible achievement. His performance set the standard expected of the German and similar drives have been emulated at various venues since that rain-effected day in mid-September of 2008.", and labeling it a "monumental feat", were my main passages to try and highlight that the German did achieve something extraordinary in 2008.

I've already meantioned the mechanical issues above, so i won't go over it again.

I find it interesting that you criticise the harshness of media criticism a 22 year old driver in Vettel's situation recieves. Whilst somewhat-unfair to expect it of every 'young' driver, 22 year old Lewis Hamilton (in his debut season) managed 9-consecutive podiums from his debut race, and only-just missed out on a championship victory. Sebastian, who is now 51 races into his career, should surely be capable of similar achievements - especially if he is the "new Schumacher".

To finalise, i was not born in the United Kingdom. I have never lived in the United Kingdom and i have visited it only once, for a matter of weeks, for a short holiday (for any considering doing so - i wouldn't go in the winter. It's rather dreary.) The suggestion that i have simply "jumped onto the bandwagon" is simply an assumption. I have followed the career of the growing-talent, Sebastian Vettel, for several years. When the media labels somebody as being on-par, if not greater-than, the statitically-greatest of all time, of course their actions are going to be scrutinised far-more closely.

Again, thank you all for your comments. They do help my understanding of how individuals view certain styles of writing.

TH

Funny, sounds kinda like Schumacher to me -- attempt to take out your opponent by hiting them or threating to hit them.  He probably would be great in NASCAR.

I won't argue that he needs to season a bit, but he does have the talent.  As for his temper, yeah he does seem to have one of those too, but he is mostly profesional about it.  I have yet to see him loose his patience with the press, although he did come close in Turkey.  I don't hang around the paddock or walk the grid like a reporter, but I have yet to hear one of them say he was a bad interview.

Apparently he also has a dry sense of humor too -- look at the comments he made about "going for fastest lap" in Canada this week.  Did we ever find out what the supposed problem was?

@Craig Dalrymple - didn't some Red Bull Nascar team-mates take each other out the other week?

I think Vettel was nursing a non-serious gearbox issue. Reliability is going to plague RBR for the entire season.

only time will tell... put him in a weak car, then we'll see...

"only time will tell, put him in a weak car then we'll see."

He won in a Toro Rosso in 2008, what more do you want?

Comment awaiting moderation. Why?