Enfant terrible setting his own milestones

IT HAS become his trademark – a raised forefinger to signify he is number one following another pole position or grand prix win.

Now, Sebastian Vettel has every justification to stick up two fingers, and not only to mark the achievement of becoming the youngest back-to-back and double world champion in Formula 1 history, but two fingers to the sport’s establishment which last season questioned his arguably fortuitous title triumph, his temperament at times, and his on-track ability.

Yes, Vettel has the car beneath him, a beast of a Red Bull that in its design infancy is crafted not by computers, but by the hand of Adrian Newey.

Still, it requires a driver with great ability to produce the performances we have seen from Vettel this season.

In 2010, the 24-year-old came of age, the campaign a learning curve with such an acute incline that this season there can be no doubt that he took every lesson on board.

Last season was proof, if it were needed, of a title race being a marathon and not a sprint, with Vettel making a dash for the line over the closing stages, outpacing Fernando Alonso and Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber.

So in becoming a two-time champion, Vettel has achieved the feat a year younger than Fernando Alonso managed in 2006.

From 15 races this season, he has been on pole 12 times, moving to within two of Nigel Mansell’s 1992 record, the Briton achieving his feat in 16 races, but in a Williams that carried so much technical wizardry the FIA outlawed it the following year.

With nine wins to his name, only one driver has managed more – the seemingly incomparable Michael Schumacher, whose 2004 tally of 13 could yet be equalled.

No-one has come close to holding a candle to Vettel, certainly not Webber, who has yet to take the chequered flag this year, and certainly neither Jenson Button nor Lewis Hamilton, as the former has stated McLaren has made too many mistakes this year.

As for Alonso, he has shown flashes of genius, but in fairness he had no chance due to being handicapped at the start of the year by a Ferrari many claimed was too conservative.

So what next for Vettel? Ahead of him are Schumacher’s records of seven world championships, 91 grands prix victories and 68 poles to conquer.

But Vettel is young, and, given the right car in the years to come, who is to say the seemingly unbeatable cannot be beaten?