Michael Schumacher condition update: Sebastian Vettel better than Michael Schumacher says Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene
After Sebastian Vettel's spectacular win at the Singapore Grand Prix, many experts can't help but compare him to seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, who is currently recuperating after a skiing accident, including Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene. However, while most believe Vettel has a lot more to prove of before he can be "as best as Schumacher", Arrivabene may have ignited the Vettel-Schumacher comparison once again when he commented "Vettel is a better driver than Schumacher".
Sports Mole writes that based on an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Arrivabene said that Vettel may be better than the German F1 legend in some respects. The Italian boss of the Ferrari Formula One team admits that at first, he thought Vettel wins because he drives the best car; but after working with him, he realized he's "one of the guys", making him love his character and personality, which is very different from Schumacher. The German racer is an introvert and only opens up to a small group of people.
Vettel is a known comedian and while most find it amusing, some may have difficulties getting his jokes - just look at how Nico Rosberg reacted to his "tire pressures" joke during the post-race press conference at the recently concluded Japan Grand Prix.
Currently, Vettel's 42nd win in Singapore has placed him in front of Ayrton Senna, making his wins a few steps behind Alain Prost and Schumacher, Fox Sports reports. He has already matched Schumacher's 1996 achievement of getting three wins on his first Ferrari season but Vettel, modest as he is, tries to avoid any comparisons.
Vettel tells the press that he doesn't think his achievement should be compared to Schumacher because he feels he's just lucky to have reached the number of race wins the German legend had. Furthermore, Vettel states the obvious that in 1996, Schumacher's car might have been under a condition worse than his has been this year, making Schumacher an even better race car driver. He also shares how grateful he is with his teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, explaining how he looked up to him growing up.
Likewise, Raikkonen shares that he will be willing to offer his help as a teammate in order to up Vettel's chances in the world championship, Grand Prix writes. He shares that he doesn't see any problems in doing it because he has done it before and besides, Vettel has better chances this year than him.
In related news, although there has been a media blackout about Schumacher's current health condition, his manager, Sabine Kehm, announced that the F1 world champion and legend is making great progress while undergoing rehabilitation, CrossMap writes.
Kehm confirms that about 15 people are monitoring the racer to ensure that he gets better in the coming days. It may take a long time before Schumacher completely recovers, but Kehm states that the racer's family and close friends are willing to take the fight because they believe it is worth the wait.