The new Formula 1 champion Sebastien Vettel's Finnish personal trainer Tommy Pärmäkoski received immediately after the bull's eye in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as many as 120 congratulations to his cell phone - from friends and strangers.- There is such a big bunch of congratulations that it tells F1 in Finland is still very popular, Pärmäkoski assured ouzing vitality although the Red Bull team had celebrated the title until four in the morning.
Pärmäkoski was mostly warmed by the congratulations his colleague Mark Arnall sent since he knew the trainer's feelings after helping Mika Häkkinen and Kimi Räikkönen become world champions.
- Doesn't it feel good? It is a special feeling, Arnall reminded, and Pärmäkoski admitted that it was.
Pärmäkoski will stay in Abu Dhabi for this week because Vettel drives the Pirelli tyre tests both on Friday and Saturday. After that he heads home to Kuortane for a holiday. Vettel ends the season in the traditional Race of Champions that is held in the end of November in Düsseldorf. Vettel and Mark Webber have some promotional work first on Tuesday in Salzburg and then on Wednesday in Milton Keynes factory.
* Invitation to the Castle Kimi's vocabulary *
Vettel attracted attention in Finland because of the comment he gave in Finnish to MTV3:
- It was a good day. Where is my invitation to the castle? I'm almost a Finnish man.
How can a German athlete be aware of the world champions getting invitations to the castle in Finland?
- I guess it has stuck on Sebastian's mind from some chats with Kimi Räikkönen when Kimi went to that party. He doesn't understand Finnish but he pulls out those phrases fluently, Pärmäkoski explains.
Vettel brought up Räikkönen when he won the title. The contact between those two F1 world champions have however been less because they each have their own schedules and because the back pains that troubled Kimi during the rally season haven't given him a chance to play badminton or tennis with Vettel.
* Something in the throat, trash in the eye *
Vettel cried of happiness on the podium.
How did Pärmäkoski control his feelings since he has shared the ups and downs this season?
- I got something in the throat. After all a real man doesn't cry but I might have got some trash in the eye at that point.
- When you repress your feelings during the entire race you just get that drowsy feeling when winning. Just like you would have got your work done. I don't even know if you understand anything else except that you have been working like a dog for this and now it's there.
Vettel praised the help of Pärmäkoski and his family during his way to the championship. The Finnish trainer also knows Vettel's family very closely.
- It's amazing how you learn to know another human being in this way when we're together 300 days a year, see places, different people and learn to know with whom Sebastian feels at peace and with whom he doesn't.
* You have to know how to read athletes *
Pärmäkoski played ice hockey as a goalkeeper. How different is it to win as a trainer?
- Very different of course when you have a different trainer and a different athlete. This is one kind of a game. You have to be able to control yourself and read the athlete. It would have been useless to encourage Sebastian very much before the final race. I just had to try and calm him down and keep him totally on the ground.
- A trainer has to have a psychological eye so that he can see the overall picture and act accordingly, Pärmäkoski says.
Turun Sanomat, Abu Dhabi
HEIKKI KULTA
Courtesy: Nicole
