I call him… Mini-Schumi

Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel picked up a deserved debut win at Monza to become the youngest ever grand prix winner. At 21 years and 74 days, the German was 317 days younger than the previous record-holder, Fernando Alonso. The victory is the culmination of a great deal of promise shown in Vettel’s short F1 career.

Unfortunately, being a successful German racing driver brings with it the inevitable comparisons to Michael Schumacher. While Vettel is understandably reluctant to compare himself to Schumi, there is a very good chance that he will one day be picking up F1 titles like his compatriot. It is a view to which Schumacher himself subscribes.

“He has the potential to be world champion but it’s a long and rocky road. I was crossing my fingers the car would keep going and he would bring it home,” said Schumacher. “In the end, what he did today was absolutely first-class. To make no mistakes in these conditions and dominate the race from the start, and in a car that is not the fastest, shows he is an extremely strong driver in heavy rain.”

Vettel has already promised himself to Red Bull for next season. While improving on David Coulthard’s current form is about as difficult as replacing Homer Simpson at the nuclear power plant and doing a better job, the youngster might now be wishing he had waited to see what other offers came along. Having proven that he is capable of winning races, the big boys will definitely be interested in drafting the German into their teams in the not too distant future. A world championship challenge with Red Bull is probably a bridge too far, but Vettel has shown that, in the right car, he could definitely be a contender.