Sebastian Vettel says he’s overwhelmed after winning his fourth consecutive Formula 1 world championship, especially against such tough rivals.
The German is now in a class of just four who have won four titles – Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher and himself.
Speaking after the race, he tried to describe his emotions.
“I’m speechless – I don’t know what to say. It’s one of the best days of my life so far,” he said.
He quickly turned to praise his “strong” rivals who he says have made his wins even more special.
“It has been incredible to race some of the best drivers F1 has ever had,” he added. “It is a very strong field and to get the numbers and statistics we have is unbelievable.”
“I was watching TV when Fernando started to win races [in 2003] and now I’m racing Fernando. He has been my toughest opponent behind the wheel. He is very gifted.
“To race people like him and Lewis [Hamilton], who has an amazing level of natural talent, and Mark [Webber], who I rate the same way, Nico [Rosberg], who I think is underestimated, a lot of guys, you know, Kimi, Jenson [Button]…
“To win four titles [against them], I don’t know, it is a big number.”
