Sebastian Vettel dominated the 2011 F1 season with Red Bull to claim his 2nd Championship title. The Germans claimed 15 poles in 19 races and 11 wins. But one loss would change his approach to racing and inspire his team.
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The 2011 Canadian GP would always be regarded as a classic. McLaren’s Jenson Button emerged victorious in the 4-and-a-half hour-long rain-soaked marathon.
Vettel qualified on the pole and led for 68 of the 70 laps. While Button would have a rollercoaster ride, which included ending at the back of the grid due to a puncture.
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Button executed 6 pitstops, including an incredible change to wet tyres early on while the rest of the grid was on slicks. He would charge through the field before overtaking Vettel in the last lap after the German ran wide at Turn 6.
Button’s race win in Montreal has been credited as one of the greatest F1 drives of all time. But Vettel too had a faultless race and this mistake left an impact on the youngster claims Adrian Newey.
How the 2011 Canadian GP changed Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel was leading the 2011 Championship by 58 points. But his defeat at the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix had a significant impact on the pursuit of his second world championship.
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Despite taking the pole position and leading all but two laps of the race, a mistake on the final lap allowed McLaren’s Jenson Button to take the win. This left Vettel “absolutely distraught” and determined to understand what he could do better in the future.
According to Red Bull’s Chief Technical Officer, Adrian Newey, the image of losing the race and possibly the championship impacted Vettel severely. And as a result, the German got a lot more serious with his racing.
Newey commented “Jenson beat him. And he was absolutely distraught at that because he felt he had not driven as well as he could have done, and therefore he had lost what should have been a dominant win,”
Seb spent hours analyzing the data post-race. He adds, “Everybody’s packing up the computers and everything in the engineering office around him while he just sat there going through the data with his engineer, going through the television feeds and stuff.”
Vettel expressed his disappointment in making a mistake on the final lap, “He wanted to understand what he could do better should that situation arise again,” said Newey. And that act alone paid dividends.
Adrian Newey credits Vettel for inspiring the entire Red Bull team
Adrian Newey credits Sebastian Vettel for his work ethic and willingness to go the extra mile. And Newey claims that alone inspired the entire Red Bull team to do better.
Vettel’s long hours of research in order to prevent such mistakes was was the catalyst for the entire team. And in doing so, the German managed to prove to his mechanics and Engineers the kind of driver he is.
Newey commented, “I think that dedication, played through into the team as well. That meant that then the team often prepared to put in that extra mile because they saw his work and commitment that he was prepared to put in.”
Vettel’s determination and drive to succeed have undoubtedly played a role in his success as a four-time Formula 1 world champion. His dedication to improving his performance, even after a defeat, serves as a reminder of the importance of hard work and resilience in achieving one’s goals.
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