Indian GP 2012: Can Vettel win his consecutive title?

Suyash Srivastava

It was chaos all around post the inaugural Airtel Indian Grand Prix last year. Most of the drivers were back in their pits and were too tired to appear before the media after a tiring day. Not Sebastian Vettel, though. He looked as fresh as he did before the race, and happily answered the barrage of questions thrown at him after winning the race. Moreover, he was quite used to facing the media in 2011 when he had cruised to back-to-back victories, taking his tally to 11 with the Indian Grand Prix.

The defending champion didn’t have a great 2012 and he deserves full credit for his stellar comeback. He was lagging 40 points behind Alonso; but the champion that he is, Vettel now leads by 6 points after winning three successive titles, last of them being the Korean GP.

The German has made his intentions clear by dominating in both the practice sessions on Friday. On Saturday, Vettel once again led the proceedings as he bagged the pole position. The 25-year-old is an expert when it comes to leading from that position. Vettel is now six points ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and he would be desperate to win successive titles at the Indian Grand Prix. Vettel is likely to continue his good form, as apart from his teammate Mark Webber, none of the other drivers were even close to his fastest time in the two practice sessions on Friday.

Analysts have said that the Indian track at the Buddh International Circuit is quite similar to that of the Korean one. It has long straights in the early part of the lap followed by more twisted, technical sections. The winner of the Korean GP, Sebastian Vettel, had no issues whatsoever at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) last year; and he has been predicted to win consecutive titles at the Indian Grand prix too, which will earn him his third successive world crown. It is also believed that the track at the Buddh International Circuit would suit the Red Bull drivers as they are adept at handling sharp turns.

This is evident from the fact that while Vettel clocked the fastest time with 1 minute 25.283 seconds to grab pole, his teammate Webber finished second with 1:25.327; and thus Red Bull would start as clear favourites on Sunday with two of its drivers in the top three.

The Indian media gels extremely well with those who aren’t stubborn and are available to answer the avalanche of questions with patience. The stage is all set for yet another thrilling Indian Grand Prix. While all the drivers would be keen to win their maiden title here, we might as well see Vettel, once again, drenched in Champagne right at the top of the podium on Sunday.