The good news first. Sebastian Vettel's victory at Monza was nothing short of a sensation. At 21, he becomes the youngest driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix. Now the BREAKING NEWS: the stewards have let him keep the title even after more than a week since he won it. Vettel is certainly the man of the moment.
Poor Lewis Hamilton had his snatched away just a few days ago even before the headline writers could lock their works in - this is coming from the horse's mouth so to speak, believe me.
Vettel, in fact, has conveniently diverted the attention from messier things in Formula One. Be it the fight for the title (Hamilton is just one point ahead of Felipe Massa with four races to go) or the more damaging one in a court in Paris (which has just opened for business as I write this column) hearing the case involving the race in Belgium which the Briton won but was later taken away from him for cutting a chicane. Insane, indeed.
Vettel, in many ways, comes to Formula One the way his compatriot Boris Becker stormed into tennis more than two decades ago. What Wimbledon 1986 was to Becker, Monza 2008 can be to Vettel.
As Vettel got out of his car after winning the Italian Grand Prix and flashed his characteristic, cinemascope smile, a dentist's delight certainly, it was similar to Becker's celebrations on Wimbledon centre court more than two decades ago. It was undiluted joy, unending and ultimately the defining moment of the decade.
Like Becker, Vettel thrives on natural talent, is a giant-killer and a true sporting sensation. Becker arrived on the scene when the sport was suffering from the Bjorn Borg hangover. Vettel comes to Formula One at a time when the Michael Schumacher magic is yet to wear off.
The comparisons, odious and tedious I admit, should end right here. Becker did not go on to match Borg's record and given Formula One's flirtations with fiascos and farces, Vettel has a long and laborious challenge on his hands to even step on Schumacher's imposing shadow.
But Vettel's achievement in becoming the youngest Formula One Grand Prix winner cannot be undermined. He has achieved it against tremendous odds, in damning situations (remember it was wet and dangerous at Monza on that Sunday afternoon) and with a team (Torro Rosso) which till then had very little pedigree and podium ambitions.
When Fernando Alonso won his first Grand Prix in 2003 to become the youngest winner, he broke a record that stood for close to half a century (44 years to be precise or 51 years if you take into account Troy Ruttman's success in the Indianapolis 500, which was once part of the F1 series). Vettel broke that record in just five years.
More pertinently, Vettel has achieved something that many of his counterparts and contemporaries are still dreaming of. Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld, for example, are yet to taste success in Formula One even after having had 119 and 148 starts respectively. The male equivalents of Anna Kournikova, I presume.
Jenson Button, on the other hand, won his maiden title at his 115th attempt at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2006. Vettel, by stark contrast, did it in his 22nd race.
At the other end are veterans like Rubens Barrichello and David Coulthard, with 267 and 243 starts for just nine and 13 victories respectively.
Let's leave Hamilton's saga (eight wins in 31 starts) for another column because this is all about Vettel.
Formula One is unique in many ways. Ditto, therefore, Vettel's achievement. A Grand Slam winner in tennis can be equated to being 100 times, or in some cases 1,000 times, better than a club player. So is the case of a Test cricketer, a top-ranked golfer, an Olympic athlete or a rugby international.
A cricketer is bound to get his century or a five-wicket haul sometime or the other in a long career. A majority in the top 10 of a tennis or a golf list is sure to have won a major tournament sometime or the other. But the same cannot be said of Formula One. Webber and Heidfeld are prime examples that highlight my case.
It is in this context that Vettel's achievement gains prominence. When getting to race in Formula One in itself is a big achievement, here is a lad who wins a race aged 21 which is one less than the number of starts he has had. He is also the youngest point and pole position winner in Formula One. Come to think of it, even Michael Schumacher could not do it.
