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F1 WORLD CHAMPION Sebastian Vettel returns to the kingdom aiming to mix business with pleasure at the home of motorsport in the Middle East.
He is determined to repeat last season’s victory at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) and spend some quality time on the island.
The three-time world champion will receive a hero’s welcome when he flies into Bahrain not only from local racing enthusiasts but also hordes of devoted German fans flying out to cheer him on in the 2013 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.
As reported in GulfWeekly, Lufthansa German Airlines has reported a ‘significant increase’ in the number of seats booked and national carrier and race sponsor Gulf Air has also witnessed a ‘hike’ in demand from travellers from the European country.
The kingdom is the closest destination for German race fans to travel to after the new season kicked off in Australia, Malaysia and China. They are determined to show their adoration in person as Vettel mania grips the nation.
Vettel said: “Well, I have to say I am a bit surprised that there are thousands of German fans travelling, but, for sure, I am more than happy to hear that there are so many. It’s always good to have full grandstands. It does create a special atmosphere for us.”
The 25-year-old is looking forward to putting on a show for them here, one of his favourite race venues. He said: “I like Bahrain, not only because of the win in 2012 but also because I like the dry climate and I think it’s pretty amazing to have such a modern F1 circuit, with all its great and comfortable facilities in the middle of the desert.
“The facilities are still quite new and very nice, giving us enough space to work in a very comfortable environment. Also, the trophy that you get on the podium in Bahrain is one of the nicest trophies we get all season.”
Vettel continued: “It’s a shame that we don’t know much about Bahrain as we are only here for a short time. It would be nice to visit the Manama souq and hit the sights such as the Grand Mosque.”
The world champion is anxious to hit the circuit’s corners and straights, while taking on the challenge of Bahrain’s track temperature. He explained: “Track-wise the circuit is more extreme for cooling than in Malaysia. The reason is that it is very humid in Sepang and humid air cools better but the air in Bahrain is very dry.
“Also, brake-wear is very high in Bahrain due to the nature of the track. The corners can fool you and lead to errors because the track is very wide and quite often the apex of the corner is not obvious. For example, the apex of Turn 14 is hidden as you approach it.
“The other challenge for a circuit in the middle of the desert is the sand that is blown all the time on to it making grip unpredictable and often slippery without warning.”
Vettel will hope to push aside the disappointment of missing out on a podium finish at last weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. He finished fourth, just 0.2 seconds behind Mercedes’ British driver and former F1 champion Lewis Hamilton after a thrilling chase to the chequered flag.
He risked further antagonising his Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber, by saying that he ‘doesn’t apologise for winning’ last month’s Malaysian Grand Prix at the Australian’s expense.
The pair will again be under fierce scrutiny at this weekend’s race at Sakhir as they return to action for only the second time since Vettel ignored team orders to overtake Webber and win the second race of the season.
“I told the team straight after I apologised for putting myself above the team, which I didn’t mean to do,” Vettel told the website for Infiniti, the Red Bull team’s title partner.
“I don’t apologise for winning, I think that’s why people employed me in the first place. That’s why I’m here, I love racing, so that’s what I did.”
Vettel and his aggrieved team-mate were said to have called a truce after the German’s controversial late pass at Sepang for one of the most contentious wins of recent years.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner slammed conspiracy theorists after Webber’s Chinese Grand Prix ended with a wheel coming off his car and a penalty for causing a collision.
The Australian, barely on speaking terms with Vettel, had started from the pit lane after Red Bull failed to put enough fuel in his car for qualifying.
“It’s complete rubbish, forget conspiracy,” Horner angrily told a reporter who alluded to some of the wilder speculation that there might be something more sinister behind the Australian’s problems.
“We’re all about trying to get two cars to the finish as high as we can,” added Horner, whose team have won the last three championships.
Webber was certainly ready to accept the blame for some of his misfortune on an afternoon that went from bad to worse and lasted just 18 laps. He collided with the Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso of Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne, for which he was given a three-place grid penalty for the race in Bahrain, and coasted into retirement as a rear wheel broke loose and bounced away.
By then, he had already pitted twice.
The afternoon was in stark contrast to Malaysia, where he led until Vettel ignored instructions from the pit wall not to overtake and took the victory.
“If Mark Webber didn’t have bad luck, he’d have no luck at all,” commented his former team-mate David Coulthard on BBC TV.
Race-lovers in Bahrain may be forgiven for having a wry smile on their faces as the Australian was one of the most vocal stirrers trying to stop the kingdom from hosting the race during the unrest as the country attempted to reunite using Formula One as a catalyst for good times to come.
