THE ODD COUPLE
Lewis loves the party lifestyle. But Vettel’s so secretive he won’t even tell us if he’s married! Meet…
THE world championship leader, as carefree as a gapyear student living off a folded tenner, is taking himself into Silverstone each day on a classic motorbike.
Nobody close to him will say where Sebastian Vettel is staying for the British Grand Prix, lest fans besiege his motorhome or hotel. Privacy could be the middle name of a German for whom ostentation and vanity are anathema.
It is no comment on his personal hygiene when his friends note that he doesn’t waste time in front of the mirror.
He lives the quiet life of a family man in what he calls a ‘ country house, a sort of farm, not far from Zurich airport,’ within easy reach of the planes that are vital to his job.
It was to the Swiss farm that Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was invited to celebrate Vettel’s 30th birthday at the start of the month.
It is said their ‘wives’, Hanna Prater and Susie Wolff, are friends. Why the inverted commas around ‘wives’?
Because Vettel so guards his privacy that not even the German journalists who follow him daily are certain that he and his longtime partner Hanna are married.
He will not confirm or deny his status, such is the line he draws between the public and private segments of his life.
But Wolff’s attendance at the party was hugely controversial, given that a day or two later Vettel was due in front of the FIA for driving into his rival, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
BUT, typically, there was no word in Germany of there even having been a party until we revealed Wolff ’ s presence earlier this week.
The reluctant Vettel would never make a show of a familyand-friends occasion.
Search Vettel’s name on the internet and the images will usually show him in the red work clothes of Ferrari or the blue of his old team Red Bull, where he won all four of his world titles.
There are no pictures of him at home, stripped to his waist or dancing with celebrities. Beyond the brilliance of their driving, Hamilton and Vettel have very little in common. The Brit’s lifestyle is well-known to be partyloving. Rather than attend the parade of cars in London to trailer the British Grand Prix, he posted a video of himself dancing with friends on the Greek island of Mykonos.
In contrast, before coming over to Britain, Vettel was at home with Hanna, his dog and two girls (though how many children he has is never confirmed, naturally.)
He sees no point in social media, preferring to sign autographs than pose for a selfie.
‘ It’s a fascinating dynamic between two very, very different personalities,’ said Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal.
‘Lewis is obviously out there, lives the lifestyle that he has, while Sebastian is happy with his backpack.
‘Lewis is more of a free spirit. He’s got a huge amount of natural talent. He probably doesn’t think about that and his application is probably different.
‘He jumps and delivers. He’s a bit like an artist. He has mood swings as well.’
When the summer break arrives, Vettel is likely to remain at home, escaping into the mountains to clear his head.
He listens to the Beatles, a love developed from his parents. He also enjoys listening to music from the German charts.
His love of British comedy is well- chronicled. He asked for a recommendation for something he might not have watched. I suggested The Thick of It. He will report back with his critical take. Work demands that he is regularly required to be in Maranello, Ferrari’s headquarters in Italy.
He dines at his hero Michael Schumacher’s favourite restaurant there, the fabulous Montana, close to the factory gates.
Caprese is a favourite order. Pasta another.
The relationship between Vettel and Hamilton has soured in recent weeks because of the collision in Azerbaijan. But Vettel is said to have admiration for Hamilton the driver and respect for the very different way he conducts his life.
Vettel undoubtedly has a hot temper and a fiercely competitive streak — the impulses that caused him to turn in on Hamilton’s Mercedes. In that sense he is heir to Schumacher, the hero he first met as a boy.
‘After Michael shook my hand, I was on cloud nine the whole week,’ said Vettel.
‘Seb has got this huge desire within him,’ said Horner. ‘ The records mean a lot to him. Michael Schumacher was his idol and sometimes you see that killer instinct of “I wanna win”, sometimes at all costs.
‘Seb can come across as spoiled (when shouting on the radio), but I think you’ve got to put yourself in his shoes. He’s lifted Ferrari from where they were to where they are now.’
Many of the intriguing questions, however, keep going back to Wolff and his relationship with Vettel and Hamilton.
The Austrian was extremely careful not to condemn Vettel on the afternoon he drove into Hamilton, which struck many observers as strange: why not back his own man fully?
HORNER said: ‘ I’d be amazed if Seb left Ferrari. But I would think he’s got Toto in his ear trying to say extend for a year (so he would have the option of joining Mercedes at the end of next year when Hamilton’s contract is up) and then he’s probably got Ferrari saying it’s three years or nothing.
‘He went there to emulate what Michael did. Stepping out now with the progress they have had would be a job half done.’
As dusk fell, Vettel was still working with his engineers at Silverstone, another Friday of total dedication nearing an end. And then on to his bike and off to rest somewhere unspecified.