ON Sunday, Sebastian Vettel won his fourth consecutive Formula One world crown with victory at the Indian Grand Prix.

In doing so, he became one of only four men to have won four titles, joining Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost and Juan Manuel Fangio.

Yet, in the aftermath of his remarkable triumph, the German said he had felt hurt at boos from fans during some of his podium finishes during the campaign.

Vettel surmised such treatment was down to both his dominance and that of his Red Bull team, who have now won the constructors’ championship for four years in a row.

It is a strange situation when success is met with such a reaction but Vettel is not the first person to be on the receiving end of it.

Schumacher, one of the greatest drivers in the history of motorsport, wasn’t exactly ‘Mr Popular’ when he was dominating the sport either.

Both have their flaws when it comes to their public perception but people almost wished failure upon them rather than acknowlegde the talent they clearly have in abundance.

Unpalatable though it may sometimes be for fans of rivals to watch another master their craft so comprehensively, booing them seems somewhat petty.