Oct 10, 2011
The newly-minted double World Champion kept a prior engagement and went to Yokohama as a guest of Infiniti Motors, to chat with fans, some of whom had spent the night waiting for him. Before stepping out onto the stage he had time for a media appointment with none other than his Red Bull Racing predecessor David Coulthard. Here’s the edited highlights of what Seb had to say. His voice was a little croaky, though not with the emotion of his deeds – he confessed there has been a spot of karaoke after all. Turns out he does a mean rendition of Yellow Submarine.
DC: It’s a few hours since you won your second World Championship. Have you really had time for this to sink in? And what does it mean for you?
SV: Not a lot of time! Not even a day and, to be honest, not a lot of sleep. When we crossed the line it was certainly a big relief but it will take some time to sink in. In a way it’s as confusing as the first title. For me it’ll take a while to understand. It’s difficult to put that into words. We had a fantastic night last night and… yeah, my voice is still a bit scratchy after some karaoke and fun with the team. Obviously we had a little bit of a celebration but not too much because we have to go to Korea now.
DC: How does it compare to winning that first title? You had ‘world champion’ beside your name going into this season. Is it something you can quantify? Does it mean even more, or is it just more of the same?
SV: You can’t really compare. The first title will always remain something special, very similar to the first grand prix victory. I remember my first ever win, at Monza in 2008, I’m sure you have very good memories and strong emotions from your first victory. It’s hard to say one thing is better than the other, it doesn’t work that way. Last year and this year are completely different. Last year we led the Championship only once, right at the end. This year we led it all the way. It’s been an incredible season so far and the best thing is that it is still going on. We have four more races in which we want to fight for victory and get the best we can. After that we focus on next year. The team is operating at an incredibly high level of performance right now. We are the same people as last year but it’s like a different team. We have raised our game, everyone is more mature and even when the boat started shaking, we always kept it on course.
DC: I’ve always been impressed by your ability to keep your feet on the ground despite your young age and tremendous success. Is that something you work on or just who you are?
SV: I think a bit of both. You are the person you are. You change, you grow up, life changes and it isn’t always so easy to remember that person that you truly are, but I think also it depends on the people around you: the people you want to be surrounded by and who make sure you keep your feet on the ground.
DC: If we put to one side the achievements of yesterday, what other point during the course of the year has been your personal high?
SV: There have been plenty. Winning is always special but winning on the streets of Monaco – like you’ve done a couple of times – was very, very special. Winning in Spa as well, because winning on the historic circuits always means a lot. There have been a lot of highs. Actually, Germany was the only race where I wasn’t on the podium! I’ll have another go next year…
Actually thinking about finishing fourth in Germany, we’ve had many exceptional races but the other races, where things didn’t come together quite so nicely but we still managed to finish second, or third, or fourth, that’s where the strength is; that’s what’s given us a really, really strong championship. Obviously winning helps you to the top but maybe it’s the other races, the ones where you fight for a podium and you need to be at your best to collect some points. Those are important. We’ve had no DNFs, and Renault have given us an engine that hasn’t had any failures for Mark or myself. It’s an incredible record.
DC: When you won the championship last year, you didn’t know until you took the chequered flag and the rest of your competitors had come across the line. Going into this race the maths were pretty easy to work out. Did that come into your mind at all during the grand prix or were you fully focussed on the car in front?
SV: Just to back up a bit, the feeling I had in Abu Dhabi last year was similar to the feeling I had in Singapore this year. I knew we could do it but obviously it depended on where other people finished. When I crossed the line in Singapore obviously I was hoping for it – and then I got the radio call saying ‘you’re one point short!’ Suzuka yesterday was a different story. I didn’t really think about the Championship. I was focussed on the race and I knew, obviously what it meant but I was busy with other things. I was surprised, in a way, crossing the line because it’s difficult… you race, the adrenaline is pumping – one and a half hours you are focussed on the race, you take the chequered flag and it’s a big relief. And then to switch into celebration mode… it’s not as easy as that. That’s why, I think, it really takes time.
DC: We enjoyed a really nice moment after the race where you were being interviewed and they played in a video showing the other eight consecutive world champions and at the end of it you had a tear in your eye. Is that because you have an understanding of the history of the sport, or was it that just at that moment that you recognised how special and what an exclusive club you’re now in?
SV: Seeing yourself put up with those guys… that’s definitely something. That’s the incredible bit. Sometimes you have to press pause to comprehend what’s happening because you’re living in the moment – which is good because that’s the only way to perform. But then you see all these consecutive World Champions, big names I’ve grown up because I do appreciate the history of F1.
It’s a weird feeling and it’s difficult to understand that yes, you are part of that. Winning the World Championship for me was the ultimate target of my life. Having achieved that… It might mean something for the history books and the statistics and whatever but most of it is being able to look at yourself in the mirror, knowing you can do it – that’s something very special.
DC: What do you see in the mirror?
SV: I don’t want to get too philosophical!
DC: I think you should…
SV: The point is that you should be happy with what you see. From experience, you make good and bad choices, and sometimes you might not have made the right decisions or not been the fairest guy, and then you struggle to face yourself, to be happy with what you see. Generally to come out of an F1 season, knowing we’ve done an incredible job and then look in the mirror and knowing we’ve done it the right way, our way, in our own style, and come out on top, that feeling is unbeatable.
Credit: Red Bull Racing Formula one Team (www.redbullracing.com)
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