Vettel - I am a normal person like everyone else

Quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel insists he has no desire to behave like a "hero". While the reigning title winner Lewis Hamilton is commonly called a F1 "superstar", Ferrari's Vettel refuses even to sign up for Twitter or Instagram.

"I am a normal person like everyone else on the road," he told the Die Welt newspaper supplement called 'PS Welt'. "I am no better, just because I can drive faster than other people. I'm not saving anyone's life, I'm not a hero," Vettel insisted.

A fiercely-private young father of - reportedly - now two children, 28-year-old Vettel says he cannot relate to the 'selfie' generation. "This generation that constantly takes photos of itself is beyond me," he said.

Vettel also admits to not totally relating to the modern iteration of the sport he excels in. "The new (F1) rules are, I would say, very futuristic," he said. "The cars have become more efficient in terms of consumption, but whether this thrills the audience or even the drivers, I am not sure," added Vettel.

He also said the rules have become too "opaque", further alienating the sport from its base, while he says the recent wrangling over qualifying was simply "embarrassing". "We must be careful not to lose the spirit of F1," Vettel insisted.

"Since I have been here we have done a great deal to improve the sport -- some (changes) have succeeded, many have not. Some things now are too artificial and the audience finds it hard to identify with that," he added. (GMM)