British Grand Prix: Sebastian Vettel is just like his idol Michael Schumacher, says Red Bull boss Christian Horner

SEBASTIAN VETTEL is Michael Schumacher Mark II, according to Red Bull boss Christian Horner.

Horner says the German is just like the ruthless seven-time world champion and is determined to win at all costs.

Championship leader Vettel rammed title rival Lewis Hamilton with his Ferrari in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as he suffered a case of road rage.

But Horner, who worked with Vettel for eight years at Red Bull, says the 30-year-old is also misunderstood by the British public.

He said: “Michael Schumacher was very much his idol and I think what we you see sometimes is that killer instinct of ‘I want to win’, sometimes at all costs.

“He wears his heart on his sleeve and he is involved in a very intense battle.

“He sees an opportunity to be a champion again this year and he knows he’s going to need everything going his way against Mercedes to achieve that.

“He has zero filter between what he thinks and what he says sometimes or what he does and that’s the great side of him but sometimes it gets him in hot water as well.

“It is a matter of channeling that temper. But Ferrari is an emotional team, and the Latin original fuels that emotion and not say it’s a bad thing, but it shows he’s human at the end of the day.

“You don’t see much of his character perhaps in his current environment. He’s a fun guy, he loves British humour, he’s very good with the mechanics of teams.

“When he turned up at Red Bull, he was always with chocolates for the receptionists and girls around the factory.

“He was always very generous not in just gifting something to the team but also for the whole factory.

“He spent hours signing stuff and investing into the team. He’s got this huge desire within him, the records mean a lot to him.”

While Vettel spends hours studying the track data to make sure he can go even faster, Hamilton’s approach is very different.

After spending two days partying in Mykonos before the British Grand Prix, Hamilton jumped straight into his Mercedes F1 car on Friday at Silverstone.

And Horner says they two characters are complete opposites in terms of their private lives.

He added: “Lewis is more of a free spirit. He’s got a huge amount of natural talent. He probably doesn’t think about his talent and his application is probably different.

“He relies on that natural instinct. He jumps and delivers. He’s a bit like an artist. You can see he has mood swings as well.

“It’s a fascinating dynamic between two very, very different personalities. Lewis is obviously out there, lives the lifestyle that he has, while Sebastian is hugely private and protected and almost enjoys a student-like existence.

“He’s happy with his backpack and keeps his family life very private. No one really knows anything than what he’s doing on the track.”

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