'Hurt' Vettel says 'clever enough' to know why he gets booed on podium

German Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel has said that he has been hurt by boos he has received on the podium at several races this season.

According to the BBC, Vettel argued that at the time, it hurts not to get the reception one expects but he thought that he is clever enough to understand why the crowd does it, adding that he is not blaming them.

The German then said that to overcome it, to give the right answer on the track and finally get the acceptance they were all looking for as racing drivers, made him very proud, along with the feeling of joining people like Alain Prost, Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher as a four-time champion.

Vettel has won 10 of the 16 races so far this season, including the last six in a row, after three world titles in a dominant car, albeit only one of them won in dominant fashion until this year, the report said.

He said he believed boos were coming from people who did not want to see one team and driver winning so much.

However, Red Bull design chief Adrian Newey said he felt the reasons for the booing were more complex than that, saying that Vettel's index-finger victory salute and his decision to ignore orders not to pass team-mate Mark Webber for victory in Malaysia this year were also responsible.