SHANGHAI: Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel insisted on Thursday he had not been stung by recent criticism from Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who accused him of not doing enough for the sport.
“Well I think he’s free to say what he wants, so it’s fine,” shrugged the four-times world champion ahead of this weekend’s race in China.
“For me, I’m very happy with what I have achieved so far and looking forward to what might be coming and that’s it,” added Vettel, who responded to Ecclestone’s dig by storming to victory in Malaysia two weeks ago ahead of Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
Ecclestone compared Vettel unflatteringly to Hamilton, calling the Briton the best world champion the sport has seen and praising his high profile in the public eye.
“He’s talented, he’s a good guy, he gets out on the street and supports and promotes Formula One,” he said in Sepang. “He’s great for the sport. I told Sebastian: ‘You should be doing what he’s doing’ — doing the job of a world champion.”