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cut-heidfeld:-never-thought-that-vettel-would-become-world-champion-several-times

(Motorsport-Total.com) – As Sebastian Vettel 2007 made his Formula 1 debut in Indianapolis as a replacement for the injured Robert Kubica, no one knew yet what a brilliant career the Heppenheimer would later lay down. His teammate Cut Heidfeld battle at the time was also not completely convinced. He admits: “I never thought that he would win several World Cup titles.”

Nick Heidfeld, Sebastian Vettel

© Sutton

Sebastian Vettel and Cut Heidfeld were 2007 teammates zoom Rep

However, this impression was not created by the one race for BMW-Sauber, but by previously mixed results during test drives. “He tested a lot for BMW and drove a lot on Friday,” says Heidfeld in the podcast 'Beyond the Grid' . “Of course it was all okay, but BMW didn't put it [für Rennen] in the car. That shows that they also didn't 100 percent were convinced. “

Human Vettel was always perfectly fine been: “Everyone liked him,” recalls Heidfeld and says that he also likes his compatriot very well as an individual. “You can have a lot of fun with it.” He believes that BMW Vettel would have liked to get into the car at the time. “But the results didn't look good.”

The then team boss Mario Theissen had recently revealed in the podcast Starting Grid that BMW-Sauber was on the way to the top and didn't want to take any chances with a young driver . Instead, they continued to use the Cut Heidfeld and Robert Kubica pairing.


Photo gallery: Heidfeld's teammates: “natural talent” Räikkönen, Vettel underestimated

Kimi Raikkonen (Clean, 2001): “They call him 'Iceman'. But he really wanted to become world champion and trained hard. Some things used to be said about him are true. Others don't agree at all. You won't become world champion if you're a lazy sack and don't care about anything. If he was beaten, he didn't like it. “ Photo gallery

Vettel was only allowed to run in one race: The US Big Prix 2007 after Kubica was injured in his serious accident in Canada. The German scored a point in his first race and amazed Heidfeld.

Only one Curve battle bad

“In qualifying there was only one curve in which he did not find a good line I took several tenths off him. Apart from that, we were more or less the same speed – and that was in his first race, “he recalls.

Sebastian Vettel

© LAT

The second curve battle Vettel's weak point in the debut zoom Rep

Vettel vulnerability battle curve 2, a left curve. There he never drove over the actually flat curb, although you had to do it for a quick time. “He didn't battle aggressively enough. I don't know why he didn't get it. It's probably due to the experience,” said Heidfeld. “The following year he would have done better.”

But Formula 1 has not yet returned to Indianapolis. And Vettel left BMW-Sauber a little later to Toro Rosso before moving up to Red Bull and becoming world champion four times. Since moving to Ferrari, however, he has not succeeded in another world title.

Vettel weak ? Rather Leclerc fantastic!

For Heidfeld this is mainly due to too many mistakes that Vettel made . “You didn't see it that way in your World Championship years,” he says. In addition, his new teammate Charles Leclerc put him under a lot of pressure. The Monegasse was able to score more points and win more races in its first Ferrari year.


Helmut Marko: Vettel not more among the best

“Unfortunately I have to agree with that”, says Helmut Marko on the thesis that Sebastian Vettel is no longer among the top 3 in Formula 1 More Formula 1 videos

Heidfeld does not see that he dominated Vettel: “It wasn't that Leclerc always beat him. And in my opinion Vettel even had something in the races the upper hand “, he judges.

In addition, he would not see any weakness of his compatriot. Rather, Leclerc is simply a “fantastic driver”. But because nobody had him on the list before the season, many would conclude that Vettel is not a good driver. “But in a few years, Leclerc may also be world champion or beat every other team-mate,” said Heidfeld. “That would put it back in proportion.”


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