Booing not a problem as long as I win, says Vettel

The abuse has followed him around from one grand prix to the next, spanning months and crossing continents.

But triple Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel is not about to start feeling bitter.

"Of course, I'd prefer to not be booed," the 26-year-old German said in an e-mail interview with The Straits Times, ahead of this weekend's Korean Grand Prix.

"But you learn from experience that you cannot please everybody," he said, adding that he can sign 100 autographs but the 101st person will be angry if he turns around and leaves.

While the Red Bull ace remains one of the more recognisable and popular drivers in the paddock, he has in recent months made headlines for being booed after winning races in dominant fashion.

The jeering began at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal in June and has become a feature of almost every race since - including last time out at the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix on Sept 22.

"It's disgraceful," F1 legend Stirling Moss told The Daily Telegraph earlier this week. "Why do they do it? Because he keeps winning? He can't help that."

Or maybe he could have. The heckles are believed to have been triggered by events in Sepang, when Vettel ignored team orders to power down and instead overtook team-mate Mark Webber to win the Malaysian GP.

Fast forward six months and the man at the centre of the storm still has no regrets over the incident.

"We've been though all of this," Vettel said. "In the end, what can I say? We raced each other. It's not as if I cruised by, it's not as if he wasn't aware. I had to fight for it."

Whether right or wrong, he has not helped his own cause since, drawing flak from fellow drivers Nico Rosberg of Mercedes and Jenson Button of McLaren for suggesting that his Red Bull team work harder than their rivals.

The pair had taken exception to Vettel saying after his massive victory at the Marina Bay Street Circuit - he was 32.6 seconds ahead of second-placed Fernando Alonso of Ferrari - that other teams are "hanging their b***s in the pool very early on Fridays".

"My guys are working hard day and night," Rosberg, a fellow German, retorted in the lead-up to the Korean GP.

"He couldn't know if his boys work harder.

"Sebastian brings the boos on himself."

Maybe so.

But Vettel's tenacity is impossible to ignore as he closes in on an increasingly likely fourth successive drivers' crown.

In fact, just hours after his win in Singapore, he was on his way back to Red Bull's factory in Milton Keynes in England.

It was not to party or admire his 60-point lead at the top of the championship standings.

Instead, it was straight back into the simulator.

"A lot of people think that I have a small break to kick back and relax a little," he pointed out.

"But no - the real hard work begins after the weekend."

Even when his work in the factory is done, there are still media and sponsorship obligations to fulfil, ranging from interviews and photo shoots in places like Austria's mountainous Furkajoch region.

With so much on his plate, it is no wonder that the Heppenheim native has quickly learnt the importance of saying "no".

"That's one of the biggest things you have to deal with when you start getting more attention," he explained.

"It's easy to say 'yes, yes, yes' but, then, the ones that suffer are you and your performance."

Still, there are times when Vettel shows his softer side.

For example, when travelling on chartered flights or Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz's private jet, he will often drop other passengers off at their home airports before arriving at his destination.

But, as he added, "I'm not always that nice".

And when it comes down to a choice between popularity and performance, the latter will trump every time.

In fact, Vettel will gladly take the booing - as long as he can respond defiantly with the signature one-fingered salute that follows each race win.

"Obviously, you want to be respected for your performance," he acknowledged.

"But as a racer, if I had to choose between winning and being cheered, it would be to win."

fabiusc@sph.com.sg

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