Four-time championship runner-up Sir Stirling Moss has compared Sebastian Vettel to the great Juan Manuel Fangio, a man who Moss endured many on-track battles with in the ’50s.
Moss believes Vettel’s domination last season in which he secured his second title at the age of just 24, is comparable to Fangio’s career in which he took five titles.
“Vettel is a modern Fangio,” said Moss. “Really, in Formula 1, I can’t see, other than his natural ability, how he is that good, how he can be that good.
“I think Vettel is quite outstanding, but then he has got the best car, which is fair enough because normally the best driver gets the best car.
“Where we’re lucky is that Vettel has a great sense of humour. He is a damn good world champion. I can think of a lot of other people who get to that position and they don’t give back as much as they get out, but he really does.”
He then compared the Red Bull driver to McLaren’s British pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, of whom he believes are good, but not on the same level as the German.
“Vettel is outstanding. They [Hamilton and Button] are up there, but not as far as he is,” added Moss.
“Lewis does funny things, so one can’t be sure. I would put my money on Jenson. Yes I would. Lewis is terrific, he really is exceptionally quick, but Jenson thinks about certain things better than Lewis will. Like when it’s raining and whether or not to go in for a change of tyres.
“For all those sorts of things he has a better understanding of it, and experience is a lot of it,” the 82-year-old concluded.
