Is it time for Vettel's rivals to concentrate on 2014?

Another race down – another finger of doom raised. The ‘Jewel’ in the crown of F1 Singapore lived up to its reputation of ensuring a 100% safety car record. All joking aside though, it was yet another display of absolute brilliance from a guy we’ve seen on the top step of the podium more than all the other winners from this year put together.

Sebastian Vettel chalked up his seventh win of this season. On the way to his Singapore hat-trick, he moved up to 4th on the list of most career laps led, pushing Nigel Mansell down another position. However, it was the way he achieved the win that has troubled his rivals. Start to finish – each and everyone of those 61 laps saw Vettel in the lead and even a safety car period did not deter him in his quest to demoralise the opposition as he reeled in lap times his rivals could never achieve.

The speed he showcased under the lights was astounding. While his rivals were hitting the 1:50s, he was still at least more than a second or more faster than them. In fact, were it not for the safety car period, he could have lapped the entire field if he showcased the insane amounts of speed.

Just to highlight that point, let me give you an example of his speed: when he pitted 11 laps after the restart under the Safety car, he had an astounding lead of 30.6s. Enough said.

So the question does arise – should the competition throw in the towel already? Statistically, Alonso can still win the championship, but for that to happen, he would need a miracle of epic proportions to ensure Vettel does not come near the podium in the next seven races.

However, if you look at the results of the upcoming races from last year, Vettel only missed the podium in the final race when he came in 5th at Interlagos. 2 of the next 3 races – Korea and India – have been his person fiefdoms and he has won at Suzuka 3 times in the last 4 years. So, if the other teams think they can keep Vettel away from the podium, well, they need to get their collectives heads checked and start putting more manpower and resources behind next year’s challengers for the F1 crown.

The big reason for this is the biggest shake-up that F1 has had in quite a while. In a bid to try and go ‘Green’, the sound of the whistling of the turbos will return to F1 next year – with new 1.6L turbocharged engines with even larger KERS systems. So, we could be entering a period of uncertainty in F1 as the teams will be using the 2014 season to gauge how life in the paddock will be like after the return to turbo power.

Mercedes have been a revelation this year, with their cars slotting into pole with ease. However, speed over one lap hasn’t translated into good results all the time. And with their new power plants expected to retain the title of the most powerful engines in F1, they will have to ensure that their new car isn’t a rubber chewer like the present troublemaker. Yes, they can still harry the Red Bulls this year, but a little more effort into Project 2014 could see them leave the Bulls seeing only three pointed stars.

The team that really needs to head off in this direction is Ferrari. Alonso, with the new KERS boosted V6 turbos expected to be even more powerful than the current V8s, and the Tifosi welcoming back Kimi Raikkonen, the pressure will be immense on the guys from Modena to deliver a car that can handle all the new power and not buck around like out of control prancing horses like they have been in 2012 and 2013. The way the backsides of the Italian cars were behaving during the Practice sessions, Qualifying and the Race, you would have been forgiven if you believed that Alonso and Massa were preparing for a rally.

Lotus and McLaren will also be undergoing big changes – Lotus will be losing Raikkonen Grosjean as a No. 1 driver can be a dangerous proposition anytime. Also, money is an issue with the Enstone based team – the major reason why the Iceman decided to return to Italy.

Woking based McLaren, on the other hand, have been dealt a bad hand this year, their car hasn’t behaved like they wanted it to and they are busy squabbling over 5th spot in the constructors with Force India. 2014 will also be a year of transition for McLaren as it would be the last year they run on Mercedes power. In 2015, one of the most famous badges in F1 -McLaren Honda – will be back and McLaren will have to learn all they can about the new regulations next year so they can march on in 2015.

So is it right for Vettel’s rivals to throw in the towel?

In a word – Yes. The young German is entering what many know are the races he is most comfortable racing in and it will be nigh on impossible for them to match him, let alone beat him there. However, they can ensure that they can make 2014 a year to remember by locking up now and going full throttle in the development of next year’s cars so that the ‘Finger of Doom’ will hopefully be seen a lot less on the podium.