Vettel: A different kind of world champion

Who says my job isn't dangerous? As I tried to interview Sebastian Vettel for the BBC's Red Button Forum after the Japanese Grand Prix, I got hit on the forehead by a TV camera and am now nursing what looks like an egg on my head! But to be honest I don't mind - the atmosphere and frenzy in the pitlane were nothing like I'd ever felt or seen before, so a little bump (or big, in this case) was worth it.

A common sight in 2011 as McKenzie chats to Vettel after another pole © sutton

At no other circuit in the world would the fans have still been sitting in the grandstand in the dark long after the action had ended, and they were justly rewarded. Suzuka has crowned some wonderful world champions and the fans appreciate Formula 1 so much - it really is a win-win situation for everyone and a fitting place for Vettel to be crowned as back-to-back world champion.

And what about the man himself? Well, the thing about Vettel is that he's such a decent guy. He can chat about anything and often does. He makes the most serious interviews fun and always has something intelligent to say - whether it's in German or English.

In my job, I'm lucky to spend so much time away from the track with the drivers, and I often get given the Vettel interviews. In Australia we went to a ranch to shear some sheep, where he nearly castrated them before being told to hand back the blades and just stick to the driving! In Canada he did just that: we spent a day at an Infiniti event, and while there he drove me around the I-car circuit, determined to scare me - and was slightly annoyed when I wasn't scared enough. These are the times you get to see the drivers as real people and personalities, not just corporate machines.

Whether it be interviews at the track or just talking about music, singing karaoke or simply having a laugh, it's always a pleasure to spend time with him.

How many times have we seen, across all sports, that those who get to the top and move into a different class are flawed geniuses? Many are ruthless and respected, but not particularly liked, by peers and fans. I think you'd struggle to find any driver who said they don't like Vettel, whether it be guys who raced against him on the way up in karting and the F3 Euro Series, right the way up to those who line up behind him on the grid every race day in F1.

Last season Vettel didn't lead the world championship until he had won it at Yas Marina at the last race of the season; this year he has led from day one and nobody else has come close. If his capabilities and confidence continue to grow with every championship that he wins, F1 could be in for an era similar to that dominated by the only other German world champion - his big friend Michael Schumacher.

Vettel is champion and a great ambassador for F1 © sutton-images.com

But don't despair, and don't regret that the title race is over already - we're all seeing history being made, and watching F1 on a Sunday afternoon is hardly a chore! The racing has been outstanding this year and to see such domination should be respected - for this season anyway.

Vettel is perfectly summed up in the interview I did with him after the race on Sunday. He was humble, he was eloquent and he was incredibly funny and, even with all his emotion, he still managed to frame me in a previous karaoke incident with him.

Sebastian Vettel is breaking records and rewriting the record books, but even more importantly he is a great ambassador for F1.