USA Grand Prix: Hungry Vettel to mark milestone

Vettel is focused on winning in Austin

Ralph Ellis relishes the German driver's focus and determination as he looks forward to Sunday's USA Grand Prix... 

"It's important to stay childish, stay hungry, and make mistakes. How else can you go forward?" That's this morning's piece of philosophy from Sebastian Vettel - and maybe it's the childish, hungry and error strewn bit of me talking but I rather like it.

The German Formula One ace has been talking as he prepares in Austin, Texas, for his 100th Grand Prix this weekend. He's been forced to defend the quality of his daring drive in Abu Dhabi, the one that took him from the back of the grid and then the pit lane to a podium finish to make sure he kept a lead over Fernando Alonso in the Drivers'Championship.

According to 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve it was more reckless than heroic.  "These are the facts" said the Canadian (reminding me somewhat of Rafa Benitez, but never mind). "While recovering from the back he made contact with Senna and damaged his front wing. Then he lost control and crashed under the safety car, a very serious error that had light consequences. As for the rest, he was super quick but he was lucky."

Vettel's argument is that he makes his own luck, and I'm inclined to go along with that. There have been plenty of times this season when his car hasn't been quickest, but he's still delivered points and it's not just coincidence that with two races left and a ten point advantage he is now as short as 1.241/4 favourite to lift the crown. 

The essence of F1 is that it has to have some daring and dash as well as some cool and calculating. The clue to how well he has combined all those ingredients in five years since he made his debut - ironically in the last American Grand Prix in Indianapolis - is that in 100 starts he has never yet failed to get beyond the first corner, the most dangerous bit of any race.

Steven Gerrard only got to celebrate his century of caps with a 4-2 defeat in a friendly, but Vettel can mark his own milestone in a far more spectacular way by clinching his third successive drivers' title. For that to happen he must win - he is 2.265/4 favourite to win the race - and Alonso finish no better than fifth.

There will be fresh challenges for all the drivers if only because they are all new to the Circuit of the Americas, the 400 million dollar purpose built super track designed to give Formula One a permanent home in the States. Until tomorrow's practice session they will have experienced it only on simulators, so a lot of late work on technical set-ups will still need to be done.

The layout, with 20 turns and a 40ft difference in altitude, will probably best suit the Red Bulls - giving value to also backing Mark Webber at 2.285/4 a podium finish. 

But it's hard to escape the conclusion that it will most of all be suited to a driver who is still a bit childish and a bit hungry, and willing to risk an odd mistake in pursuit of the chequered flag.