Judging Sebastian Vettel

It was once said that experience is the worst kind of teacher. It hands out its test before it starts giving you any lessons.

But, after what could well have been a defining race in title terms in Spa last weekend, it seems that those men willing to stick it out with the pesky teacher for those lessons are now reaping the rewards.

The big question on everyone's lips - with six races remaining - is whether, after failing his exam in Belgium, we will find Sebastian Vettel working hard in the classroom or enjoying a can of Red Bull or two outside the school gates with his mates.

Vettel's season has been one of blinding speed and amazing frustrations. It is not hard to imagine with a bit of luck that he would be well on course to his maiden world title this year. A different spark plug in Bahrain, a tweaked wheel nut in Australia, a different line into the first corner in Britain and a working radio in Hungary could have made all the difference to his season.

Indeed, when I spoke to him on Saturday night, he reckoned that luck was the only thing stopping him and Red Bull Racing

"We haven't been really lucky this year yet," he said. "We had a bit of a mid-season analysis and if there is one thing that stands out, it is that speed never was a problem.

"We are doing everything like we should. We are always there, we are quick enough - and mostly it has been things out of our hands, out of our control, that have spoiled our days or ruined our plans. That is how it goes sometimes.

"If you look at others, they might also not have the perfect weekend. For instance, Lewis [Hamilton] at Barcelona was solid for third and then he lost the wheel and crashed. Anyone can argue for himself that he could have got a bit more there, but in the end it is about consistency. You make out of your chances what you get.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Spa 2010 © LAT

"So far we have made the best, and even races where we probably should not have even continued, or people would have said no chance to finish - like Barcelona, we got third. So, that is how it goes. I am confident. We have the speed and once the luck turns around then we should be able to convert it into wins and a lot of points."

But blaming luck solely for why things have not happened this season would be to do a disservice to his team-mate Mark Webber - who has driven brilliantly, played a blinding off-track game politically and produced the consistency that world titles are made of.

One of the key lessons Webber has taken on board this season is not to let bad moments linger in his head. He is better able to hit the reset button after problems: just look at what he did on race day at Silverstone after the front-wing shenanigans, just one race on from the disaster of Valencia.

Vettel, on the other hand, never appears to have recovered from the setbacks of Bahrain and Australia. Blameless as he was for losing out on back-to-back victories, it is as though those events have haunted his every move - made him even more desperate to get good fortune back on his side. And the more he has tried, the worse it seems to have become.

While Webber has gone with the flow; taken points when needed, delivered pole positions and victories when they were there his for the grabbing, Vettel has appeared to try and overcome the natural order. When it hasn't happened, it has made things even worse - and you just had listen to his anger in Hungary over the team radio when Webber emerged in the lead after his pitstop

"How the f*** is Mark in front now?" he screamed to his team. "How is that possible?"

Perhaps therein lies the difference between the two men. Webber, the hard grafter, has come to accept that there are things he can control and there are things he cannot - and there is little point getting worried by, or trying to influence, the latter category.

On Sunday night I sat down for a chat with Lotus technical chief Mike Gascoyne - a man not afraid to speak his mind - to ask for his insight on Webber/Vettel. He worked with Webber at Benetton, when the Australian was a test driver, and reckons it is his work ethic and willingness to understand the situation that is paying dividends.

"Mark has always been a very determined, very straight-minded individual," said Gascoyne. "I first met him when he was training at Jordan and he was test driver for us at Benetton. I never worked with him as a race driver but I think he has always been a typical Aussie - very straight, very determined, very focused and a serious guy. That has shown in his racing and the way he approached it. He was very much like that early on.

Mark Webber celebrates his birthday at Spa © Sutton

"Flavio Briatore signed him and Flavio doesn't just sign idiots. When I was there he had as test drivers Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber - well, not a bad effort for two guys you are going to manage. One is a multiple world champion and the other is looking good this year.

"I think what made Mark stand out was his serious approach. He trained hard and he worked very hard at being a motor racing driver even when at that stage he didn't know where he was going to get to. He worked very hard at it and you still see that. He knows a championship is about consistency."

On Vettel, Gascoyne is not impressed by what he has seen - but reckonsthe onus is on the driver himself - and not his team chiefs - to sort things out.

"It is him sitting in the car. That is a rush of blood thing and you cannot sit in there with him. He has got to handle all that himself. You can put him in the right frame of mind, but at the end of the day he is the one braking and steering."

Experience can only teach the teachable. So Sebastian - is it the classroom or the school gates? Your title hopes now depend on it.