How Vettel got an edge over his rivals

Here is a Formula 1 quiz question for you. Out of the regular drivers who have thrilled us with their racing this year, how many of them thought it would be a good idea to go and visit Pirelli's headquarters last winter to find out all about its tyres ahead of its grand prix racing return?

Was it just the frontrunners who could be bothered to take a day out of their holidays to go and get an understanding of what to expect from Pirelli's products in 2011? After all, it made perfect sense to find out what was on the horizon, with F1 openly preparing itself for a very different type of rubber compared to what had been delivered before.

Well, the number of drivers who signed in at Pirelli's Milan base did not even stretch to potential race winners - because the answer to the original question is a simple 'one'.

And perhaps it is no surprise, looking at the way this world title fight has developed, to find out that the mystery driver who got a head start in understanding the Pirelli way during a one-day visit last December was... Sebastian Vettel.

For if you look for the foundations of his campaign, a crucial element has been the way that he has been so brilliant at extracting the best from the tyres on a Saturday afternoon. Witness Monza last weekend.

His often sensational poles have allowed him to lead from the front, in a car that has sometimes been slower than its rivals in race trim, and helped him notch up the victories that have put him on his way to another crown. Compare what he has done to the man alongside him, who has the same car and the same opportunities.

At Monza last weekend, Pirelli's director of motorsport Paul Hembery offered some fascinating insight into Vettel's approach this year - and the impact of that December meeting.

"I think sometimes people underestimate all those little details," he said. "When you add them up, they probably do make the difference for some drivers.

Vettel has dominated qualifying this year © sutton-images.com

"We were impressed when he came to see us, and I think it gave us a little insight into what he is like as a driver. What he did with us, he clearly does that in all areas that he operates in. The only other driver that asks us a lot of questions is another German - who is a bit older with quite a few more championships under his belt. We found that interesting. It is like seeing the master and the protege at work."

Vettel's understanding of the tyres will not have come solely from that Pirelli visit, but what he gained there would have certainly contributed to his database of knowledge. Of more significance is the way that the visit shows why Vettel is such a complete package who, like any of the greats, extracts the maximum from every single detail he can to try and get an advantage.

Reflecting on Vettel's visit last December, Hembery said: "He wanted to know what we are about. He wanted to see the laboratories, wanted to meet the management, not just the motorsport management, but also get a look and a feel for the company.

"He wanted to know what we were trying to achieve, what we were being asked to do - so he could understand if they were going to be sprint tyres or not in 2011. He was keen to understand how the new supplier was going to play in terms of strategy, and that clearly put him in good stead this season.

"He has clearly got an amazing car and is an amazing driver, but he does seem to be very good at extracting the maximum performance out of that package. That lap in qualifying in Italy, being honest, I would be surprised if Red Bull thought they had that in them. I watched it on television and I thought it was one of the great qualifying laps. People kept telling me qualifying was not important here, but it clearly meant a lot to him."

It was often said that one of Michael Schumacher's strengths during his dominant years with Ferrari was the ultra-close relationship he had with Bridgestone - for he was a man who understood that getting the best out of tyres was as important for success as any aerodynamic tweak that the team can bring to the car.

Judging by events this season, it appears that Vettel has a similar desire to understand all he can about how tyres interact with his car. Remember the struggles that Red Bull Racing had on Friday in Hungary? Remember the team breaking the curfew to make changes to the car? Well, guess who Vettel spent some time with that night, trying to understand exactly what his car needed?

"Red Bull just could not get the balance of the car right, well to his [Vettel's] satisfaction anyway," says Hembery. "They were still pretty quick but he clearly was not happy with a certain sector of the track.

"He came to our engineers to speak to them. He was trying to explain what he was feeling, and getting feedback from us on what we thought was going on. And as you know, they worked overnight to try and put things right, and the result was very clear to see.

"He has that intensity of focus and dedication that drives him to want to understand more, even though he will get exactly the same tyres as everyone else.

Paul Hembery was impressed with Vettel on the German's visit © Sutton

"I can't tell you what benefit that gives him in terms of pace, but from the bit we see, if he does that in every single aspect of the car package, then you can imagine the result is going to be pretty good."

Perhaps more surprising than Vettel seeking every nugget of information he can get out of Pirelli, is the fact that other drivers did not go down that route - even in accepting that invitation to see what Pirelli was all about.

"I did find it a little bit strange - maybe the others are shy!" smiles Hembery. "We don't bite. We are quite friendly. We did offer to the teams that if anyone wanted to come and see us and have a look then please do, and some of the teams did come and see us, not the drivers - to try and see who we are...

"Bear in mind though at the Abu Dhabi test, we didn't have a couple of drivers from one of the big teams. That really surprised us. We are not doubting the drivers we had there in terms of their ability, but I would have thought you would have wanted to get a feel on the tyres as soon as you could."

Perhaps it was the days after Vettel's 2010 title triumph that tell us more about the secret of his success this season than what we see on track. How easy would it have been for him to party hard on the Sunday night of Abu Dhabi last year, and then disappear off for three months before returning for the pre-season tests in February?

Maybe doing so may not have made much difference to his form, but in F1 detail counts - and Vettel knows that if there are 10 areas where he can work harder than everyone else to eke out an advantage, then they can all add up to make a real difference.

That was why Vettel was back in the car the week after Abu Dhabi trying out Pirelli's rubber - before he embarked on winter promotional activities and then slotted in that visit to Pirelli before Christmas. Compare that to Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button not even doing the Pirelli test at Yas Marina.

Vettel is set to celebrate his second title © sutton-images.com

The final word goes to Hembery: "Whenever you work with the best, there is always a lot to do with the level of detail. At Pirelli we've had the privilege of working with Sebastien Loeb and other rallying greats, and these guys don't sleep at night thinking about how to improve things.

"Vettel has picked that approach up from someone, or he was born like that. There could be a temptation from people when they get to F1 to think that they have made it, but the reality is he hasn't stopped - and he probably will not be happy until he has got seven titles under his belt, like the master..."

There really is no substitute for hard work. And perhaps Vettel's rivals are going to have to start working harder if they are to realise that.