Sebastian Vettel impresses Norbert Haug

Sebastian Vettel’s dominating win at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday has impressed many including Mercedes Benz motorsports boss Norbert Haug.

Speaking highly of the 21-year-old Red Bull driver, Haug told DNA that Vettel was a great talent. “He is very mature for his age and he has great prospects,” the 56-year-old Haug said.

Though Lewis Hamilton had won the drivers’ title last year, it was Vettel who had caught the attention because of his splendid performance including a win at the Italian Grand Prix. What was even more impressive was the fact that he managed to put up a strong performance with Toro Rosso, a team which is not among the top runners.
Vettel’s driving style and his calm, composed conduct under pressure has inevitably earned him comparisons with the more famous German driver Michael Schumacher. However, Haug does not like to compare the two. “Michael is Michael and Sebastian is Sebastian,” he said.

With a superb performance in Shanghai and an equally good performance at the Australian Grand Prix (his race ended after a crash with Robert Kubica with few laps remaining) it is obvious that Vettel has become a strong contender for the drivers’ title. This has, not surprisingly, put him on the radar of the big teams. When asked whether McLaren Mercedes was interested in hiring Vettel once his Red Bull contract gets over in 2010, Haug replied, “We have to wait and see. Our aim is to always sign the best drivers available.”

It won’t be surprising if other big names too start showing interest in the talented German. Vettel already has ties with BMW with whom he made his Formula One debut in 2007 replacing the injured Robert Kubica at the US Grand Prix. Vettel scored a point in his first race to become the youngest driver to do so.