Vettel unfazed by Schumacher comparisons

Vettel has impressed many in his first full season of Formula One and chalked up points finishes at Monaco and Canada after a string of retirements in the first four races of the year.

He has been labelled a star of the future and a potential successor to his countryman, seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, but the 21-year-old plays down any comparisons.

"You can't say that what people say is in your mind. For me, I don't care, I have my own target," Vettel told autosport.com. "Every single lap in every single race I want to do the best I can, therefore there's no need for anyone to say 'he did good' or 'he did bad'.

"If someone says you're good maybe you're happy, but it doesn't help you for the next lap. If they say you're bad, if they have the right criteria and there's a bit of truth, maybe you can learn. But in the end it's important not to care too much what people say or you will lose your way."

Vettel added that things haven't changed much for him, despite his profile building up over the last 12 months.

"My life hasn't changed much, I'm very rarely recognised," he explained. "I'm still the same person. When I have time off I like to do the same stuff my friends do. It's very easy to stay in touch with your friends and I think that's very important.

"It's the same as if I was studying in Hamburg or London and my friend was in Milan. It's a big distance, but I like to play football (when I see them), they are better than I am and they still say I'm shit when I'm on the field."