Sebastian Vettel said he suffered "mixed emotions" after winning the Indian Grand Prix on Sunday.
World champion has "mixed emotions" after latest success
Sebastian Vettel said he suffered "mixed emotions" after his 11th victory of the Formula One season in India on Sunday.
The race was a perfect one for Vettel in that he led every single lap and also set the fastest lap after starting from pole position.
Having retained the world title two races ago, the 24-year-old German set another record at the Buddh International Circuit by overtaking Nigel Mansell's 1992 record for the most laps led during a season.
Yet there was also sadness for Vettel in light of the tragic deaths in the last two weeks of double Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon and MotoGP star Marco Simoncelli.
"It is the first grand prix in India and I am very proud to be the first winner," said Vettel.
"But we have recently had two tragic weekends, losing two of our mates. For everyone who is a fan of motorsport it has been a hard time.
"I didn't know Dan Wheldon, but he was a big name, and I only got to know Marco Simoncelli this year.
"Yes, we are ready to take certain risks when we jump into the car, but we obviously pray that every time nothing happens.
"Sometimes you get reminded of what can happen, and it is the last thing that we want to see.
"So there are mixed emotions and our thoughts are with them at this moment, especially with their families.
"We should never forget those two young, very committed race drivers."
Motivation
Vettel's latest win means he remains on course to equal another record, that for victories earned during the course of a season.
The benchmark was set by Michael Schumacher, who took the chequered flag 13 times in 2004 and Vettel needs to win both the season's final races in Abu Dhabi and Brazil to match it.
"People have questioned my motivation coming into this weekend," added Vettel.
"But as I have touched on, the whole team is still very hungry and the best thing is we still have two races to go so we can enjoy it a lot. For me motivation is not an issue."
The debut race on the subcontinent has proven to be a roaring success, even if the facilities need a little work ahead of next year's race.
But with 95,000 fans in the stands, it should be an event that grows for the future.
"There were a lot of people here, this was a big event with a great atmosphere and with all the grandstand nearly sold out, so great to be part of it," said Vettel.
The German ultimately finished 8.4 seconds ahead of McLaren's Jenson Button, with Fernando Alonso a distant third in his Ferrari.
Both Button and Alonso echoed Vettel's sentiments when it came to reflecting on Wheldon and Simoncelli, for whom a minute's silence was observed before the start.
"The last two weekends have been very, very difficult given the two fatalities," said Button.
"I knew Dan from a very early age. He was the guy we always had to beat in the early formulas, so I'm very sad.
"I think we should dedicate this first Indian race to him and Marco who was a super-talented youngster, the most amazing guy to watch on a bike."
Alonso gave his perspective, saying: "As Sebastian and Jenson said, mixed feelings this weekend after sad weeks for motorsport with the two accidents.
"I think we all raced for them today, and looking ahead we should always remember these two fantastic people."
