The Heir Apparent: Exclusive interview with Sebastian Vettel

It was interesting to note Gerhard Berger's comments this week on his departure from Toro Rosso. While it's all too obvious that the main issue was money, or more specifically the lack of extra funding on top of that provided by Red Bull, Gerhard made the point that now was the right time to get out - he couldn't see Toro Rosso bettering what they achieved in 2008.

Funnily enough that was a question I put to him towards the end of this season - was this going to be as good as it ever gets for STR? While he didn't actually support my thesis, he didn't jump up and down and insist that the upward progress would continue.

"I wouldn't want to go into this way of thinking," he said. "I think until the end of the year the most important thing for us is to stabilise the situation. If we would think now to do the next step on performance, I think we would be wrong, because we did two steps already at once.

"Now it's very dangerous to do another step without going backwards. So let's stabilise where we are. Let's see if we can start next season on a level like this, maybe a little bit behind, a little bit ahead, and then think about the next thing."

Now he seems to have changed his tune a little, and come to the conclusion that the financial squeeze, this winter's complex package of rule changes and the departure of key asset Sebastian Vettel will combine to not only arrest STR's momentum, but send the team backwards.

Indeed, Sebastien Buemi - or whoever else ends up driving for STR next year - will have to contend with the long shadow cast by Vettel's extraordinary performance in 2008. In years to come, perhaps when the guy has won a few world championships, we will look back at the Italian Grand Prix win in particular as one of the most amazing single performances of the modern era.

Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher at the Kerpen kart track in 1999 © XPB

It was a magnificent season for the German, whose early career has paralleled that of his pal Michael Schumacher in so many ways. Like Michael, he started his F1 career in the middle of the season with a one-off race for a team, before signing a longer term deal with someone else. And as with Michael, the German manufacturer that had given him his big break has had to watch, with mixed emotions, as he's found success elsewhere. Presumably hoping that one day, he'll come back.

Like Michael, he began scoring points almost immediately with his new team, and continued that form into his first full season, during which he scored his first win in a rain-affected race. And having now moved sideways to RBR, his new team regard him as the final piece in the puzzle that will bring them to the next level, just as Schumacher was at Benetton.

In the early races of the season there were few signs of what was to come, not least because the team initially stuck with their old car because there was no time to complete its replacement.

Vettel qualified in the top ten in Melbourne, but many other people were still addressing teething problems, and Albert Park is a peculiar place. After that it was back to reality - starting 15th, 19th, 18th and 14th over the next four races. Incredibly, he didn't make the finish until the fifth race of the season.

"To be honest, for the first time in the history of the team we had a very strong winter testing programme," he says, looking back at the end of the season.

"Obviously we started with the B version from last year's car, but still we were hoping for more than what we got. We had four retirements straight away and we never saw the chequered flag. So it was quite a big disaster in the beginning. Except for Malaysia, where we had a hydraulic problem, I always had a collision with someone, or a collision that led to damage so that in the end we had to retire.

"In Australia, Button pushed me and I spun, and then the car stalled. Bahrain was an accident in the first corner with Fisichella, and then another accident in T3 with Sato, which destroyed the cooler. And then the engine blew, that's why there was oil on the track. In Spain I had an accident with Sutil, he crashed into my car.

"Turkey was the first race we finished, but Monaco was the turning point when we introduced the new car. And from then onwards I think we made quite a big step in the right direction."

That's a typical Vettel understatement. A street race is not the best place to shake down a new chassis and he started only 19th. That didn't give any indication of what was to come on a soaking wet Sunday as he charged up to fifth - in his first Monaco GP.

Sebastian Vettel runs ahead of Heikki Kovalainen and Timo Glock on the debut for the Toro Rosso STR at Monaco © XPB

"Monaco was a very special race. It was so long. It was two hours, I think we ran out of time in that race. It was so difficult to keep up concentration, a street circuit, very tight, and in the beginning it was even wet and very slippery. So it was all about staying on track and not doing mistakes.

"We were on a conservative one-stopper because we started from 19th. Things worked out perfectly, but it was mentally a very difficult race. The first thing I did after jumping out and shaking hands after getting our first points of the season was go to the toilet!"

Canada came next. This time a rare mistake and a heavy crash on Saturday morning compromised his qualifying session and left him with a pitlane start. From there he did the near-impossible and made it to the points in eighth.

"I didn't qualify in Canada because I crashed so heavily in the morning and we had to prepare the spare chassis. That's why there was no way to do qualifying. I watched qualifying up in race control, which was also quite interesting to see because the drivers were struggling massively with the asphalt.

"Then, Sunday starting last, from the pit lane, the safety car helped us and we did one stop only. The last ten laps I had to defend against Heikki and he was clearly in a faster car. He had a much stronger pace, so that was a tight ten laps. All the time I was defending like hell and I think my car was much wider than normal."

The French GP was a low-key run from 12th at the start to 12th at the flag. That didn't seem to prove much, but significantly the car was now much better suited to Vettel and rather less so to his teammate.

"For Magny-Cours, we introduced a completely new aerodynamic package and it took us two or three races to understand that. You could simply see through the pace in qualifying and the races that we were in a strong position, and for the first time we were able to fight for points. We got a lot of points from then onwards. I can tell you a story about every single race if you want."

Bearing in mind the wet weather form he displayed elsewhere, a first lap trip into the gravel at Silverstone was a major disappointment - not least because he was put there by the man he already knew he was going to replace in 2009, namely David Coulthard.

Hungary was a non-finish, but eighth in the previous race at Hockenheim (where the safety car cost him), and then sixth in Valencia and fifth at Spa kept up the scoring. Belgium, where he shone in the damp closing laps, was especially good.

"At my home race in Germany I was able to score some points, which was very nice, even though the safety car gave us a penalty. We should have finished sixth, but we finished eighth.

"In Valencia we set the fastest time in Q2. We had a very, very strong car there and a very good race and very good qualifying.

Sebastian Vettel leading the Italian Grand Prix at Monza © XPB

"Belgium was special, the last two laps. I had a horrible start and first corner and lost a lot of positions. I was fighting back and pushing every lap so hard, and then in the last few laps there was the rain coming, and then I could even finish fifth."

That was followed just a week later by the amazing weekend that was the 2008 Italian GP. Even now it's hard to believe what happened there. Taking pole on a wet track was one thing, but staying in front for the whole race, and not even coming under any serious challenge, was the stuff of legend.

"For sure it was the highlight. Some of the pictures I will never forget in my life, obviously. After the race Giorgio Ascanelli came to me and said no matter what it is, nothing is better than the first time. So for sure I will never forget my first win and also first pole position.

"It was a fantastic experience, I mean just the emotions standing on the podium in the middle having won the race and listening to my national anthem, and then the Italian anthem. I think it was quite special to win at Monza with an Italian team - and it wasn't Ferrari. I think it has been 50 years since the last time, so it will be very difficult to repeat that one.

"It was very, very special, and all the guys, no matter whether it's the mechanics or the engineers at home in the factory, the top management, whoever it is, everybody gave me so much and was pushing so hard to get success, and then if you can first say thank you and second say thanks with your results and even with a win, there's nothing better than that."

Following up a victory was never going to be easy, but more solid points came with fifth in Singapore, and sixth in Japan.

"Singapore was very nice, the first night race. It was very special, the circuit also, very tough. A long lap, and so difficult to keep up concentration. Because of the humidity you had a problem with the sweat running down your face, and then when you were braking it was hitting the visor. So it was quite a special feeling."

A pitstop problem cost him a point in China, where he finished ninth. And then came the finale in Brazil. Fourth place was his second best result of the season, but a brilliant performance was somewhat overshadowed by his unexpected role in the battle for the championship. The strategy flattered him early on, but when everyone had the same fuel loads, and in the trickiest conditions imaginable, he passed Lewis Hamilton. In a Toro Rosso.

"In the end we finished the last race in front of the world champion. We finished fourth, so we can be very happy. They just let me do my race. It was bloody slippery and I had to focus to keep the car on the circuit. There were a lot of lapped cars, it was quite chaotic. I didn't know which position it was.

"(Timo) Glock had no chance. If you could see it, it was magic what he did in the car on the last couple of corners, to hold it on the circuit. He had no chance to defend, no way. When I overtook Timo I lost quite some space to Lewis, but before that I was quite comfortably in front, so he never made an attempt at re-passing.

Sebastian Vettel leads Lewis Hamilton in Interlagos, temporarily costing him the world championship © XPB

"In the end I don't care about the title, I do my own race and I just try to overtake everybody as soon as possible. It was good for the team to finish on a high. I think they deserved it much more than I do."

It was a great end to the season, and to his relationship with Toro Rosso.

"Apart from all the track experience, I learned a lot. I did a huge step in comparison to the beginning of the season. It was a pretty strong season. In the end everybody made huge progress in the team, every single one, and then as a whole we did a huge step in the rankings in terms of how many points we scored and so on. In Monza, okay it was raining, but nevertheless we were the fastest in these conditions, we did the best job, we did no mistakes. And I think that we fully deserved to win."

Will he get a chance to stand on the top step again with RBR? Or will that have to wait for at least three years, when in theory he'll be free to head to one of the established top teams that must surely be watching his every move?

It's going to be interesting to see how things unfold. One thing is for sure - he's going to be a major player for some time to come.