Over the past few weeks, Formula One fans and moviegoers around the world have been thrilled by Ron Howard’s account of the gripping 1976 title battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda in the biographical action film “Rush”.
Should Howard ever have the desire to recount the 2013 season, he needs only to look to one man for the lead role and can call the movie “Crush” to emphasise the manner in which triple world champion Sebastian Vettel is destroying his rivals on the way to a fourth consecutive title.
Under the floodlights in Singapore on Sunday, the German completed a hat-trick of victories on the Marina Bay Street Circuit to extend his championship lead to 60 points over Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso with just six rounds remaining.
The 26-year-old controlled the entire race weekend so comfortably that even a safety car period which pulled the field together midway through the marathon 61-lap Grand Prix only served as a reminder of how much faster he is than the rest.
Once his Red Bull was unleashed again after the track was cleared of debris, the German easily sped away from his closest challengers to pull more than 30 seconds ahead within 15 laps of the restart.
Over the past three seasons, Vettel has torn up the record books on his way to consecutive championships and with 25 points available for a win, he could become the youngest and quickest driver to notch four world titles as early as Suzuka on October 13.
Even being booed on the podium by rival fans as he celebrated his last three victories has done little to quench his desire for more success, instead spurring him on to continue winning for a team that has adapted brilliantly to every problem the sport has thrown at it. “It’s not nice but I think if you look around the grandstands, there are a lot of fans dressed in red as Ferrari have a strong tradition in the sport and have been more successful than any other team,” Vettel said.