Briatore thinks Vettel would feel pressure at Ferrari
Last Updated: September 19, 2011 11:31am
Sebastian Vettel: On cusp of the title
Flavio Briatore reckons Sebastian Vettel should remain at Red Bull long-term as he has a race-winning car and minimal amount of pressure at the team.
Rumours continue to suggest Vettel could be off to Ferrari in the near future despite the German having a contract which keeps him at Red Bull until 2014.
But Briatore, who recently stated that teaming Vettel up with Fernando Alonso would "weaken a team by splitting it into two parts", believes Red Bull is the better option for the defending champion.
"Ferrari is of course a fascinating team, but he should go where he can win," Briatore told Auto Bild.
"At Ferrari he would also have greater responsibility as a driver and the pressure is much bigger.
"Fernando can cope only because he is already mature."
As for Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber, the Italian says the Aussie deserves respect for what he has achieved.
"In every sport there is a number one. In Formula One that is currently Sebastian. But Mark is fighting for a runner-up world championship place.
"This is an achievement that should not be underestimated as Michael Schumacher's team-mates often did not succeed."
Brink of glory
Meanwhile Vettel stands on the cusp of becoming Formula One's youngest-ever double world champion and could take his second crown this weekend in Singapore.
Vettel stands on the cusp of becoming F1's youngest-ever double World Champion and could take his second crown this weekend in Singapore.
Should he win the race, which would be his ninth victory of the campaign, and Alonso fail to finish on the podium and neither Mark Webber nor Jenson Button come home in second place, Vettel will snap up the title.
And his team's design guru Adrian Newey reckons he could do just that as there is no way Vettel will settle for just scoring points, especially if he sees an opportunity to attack for the race victory.
"Sebastian doesn't want to cruise to the World Championship, he really wants to earn it," Newey told Autosport. "That's what you saw at Monza. It was a ballsy move.
"We knew it was going to be difficult for Seb to retake the lead. Ultimately, there was always going to be an opportunity to achieve that in the pit stops with the power of the undercut. But if we couldn't do it on the undercut, it was going to be difficult."
Newey added that he has been impressed with Vettel's willingness and ability to learn from his own mistakes as the 24-year-old continues to grow into the complete package.
"What's so impressive about him is that he very rarely makes the same mistake twice. He learns and he keeps confounding the critics.
"Last year, people were saying he's great if he gets out in the lead but he can't overtake people. People won't be saying that after the last few races."
Credit: Sky Sports (www.skysports.com)
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