OCTOBER 4, 2013

Team switch would stop Vettel booing

Sebastian Vettel can stop the booing if he just proves his undoubted talent outside the dominant Red Bull cockpit.

Sebastian Vettel can stop the booing if he just proves his undoubted talent outside the dominant Red Bull cockpit.

That is the advice of admirer Marc Surer, a former grand prix driver who now commentates for the German broadcaster Sky.

"He has the speed, the consistency and always gets the most out of it," Swiss Surer said in Korea.

"In my opinion that's what distinguishes him from Fernando Alonso, who sometimes falters in qualifying, or Lewis Hamilton, who is too inconsistent."

Recent booing, however, has taken the shine off Vettel's recent success, including a hat-trick of increasingly dominant wins at Spa, Monza and Singapore.

"For him, a change would be good," said Surer.

"He would finally get rid of the perception that he can only win in a Red Bull, and the boos would fall silent."

Many paddock dwellers believe the booing is simply the result of fans' frustration that Vettel is now cruising to a fourth-consecutive title victory.

Surer agreed the 26-year-old is the obvious favourite in Korea.

"Actually, only the tyres can stop him," he said. "We have even softer tyres here than last year, when they were absolutely critical in the end.

"If that happens again, we have seen before that other teams like Ferrari and Lotus can handle the situation better," added Surer.

(GMM)