Finland's gold was celebrated even in the F1 Champion Team

Topfysio Tommi Pärmäkoski celebrated Vettel's F1-championship in November. On Sunday evening he got something new to celebrate.

Together with his colleague Antti Kontsas, Pärmäkoski organized a joint Icehockey WC -studio for Finnish F1-trainers in Switzerland.

Pärmäkoski played icehockey himself in Mestis during 2002-03 as a goal keeper, "as a good sportsman but not as an especially talented hockey player".

– It was a great game from Finland's whole team and especially from Petri Vehanen (goalie). Deepest respects also to Sweden's goal keeper Viktor Fasth, who became a WC-star coming almost straight from their Mestis-level, Pärmäkoski thought.

Vettel, who has got a wooden Finnish sauna built in his home, tried out this weekend his renamed Red Bull Ring.

– Vettel called after Sweden made the opening goal but it got more quiet after that, Pärmäkoski revealed.

When Finland played against Germany Vettel was racing in Turkey. The competitive WDC made a bet with his fysio about who will win - he lost, which is very rare for the man these days.

Vettel leads the serie with 34 points to Lewis Hamilton after only 4 races.

– The car is good, the driver is good but there's at least 15 races left. The most important thing is to keep the feet on the ground and just take peacefully one race after another, Pärmäkoski says.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Video: Seb throwing his cap to Tommi Pärmäkoski

Source: AlessaFainello

Vettel shares Räikkönen's happiness

Sebastian Vettel is radiating from happiness and he admitted openly in a tv-interview that he loves his job that is crowned by continuous victories. Vettel sent his wishes to Finland from behind the scenes through his trainer Tommi Pärmäkoski, wishing that Kimi also lives his dream just like he does.

– It was quite a big surprise to hear that Kimi is going to race in Nascar on top of rally but that way he gets to continuously experience strong emotions that other F1-drivers can only dream of, Vettel said.

Pärmäkoski has a different challenge

A year ago after two opening races, Pärmäkoski was Vettel's closest mental supporter when Red Bull's young German star had thrown away two victories because of technical problems.

Now Pärmäkoski's role after two victories is to prevent the WDC from feeling too good.

– Psychologically this is a completely different challenge. You have to calm the man down to make sure he won't go ahead of things, Pärmäkoski told on the phone from Sepang's victory-party.

– On Tuesday morning I will challenge Seb in a squash game and beat him so badly that he knows again that he can also lose, Pärmäkoski laughed.

Not that there would be any big risk for an attitude-problem though. Vettel is that kind of type who doesn't easily start floating - just as he won't easily throw the hatchet in the well, which last season already proved.

– There's been more than enough of those who pat him on the back during the journey. Sebastian deals really well with those things. On the paddock he always does his work as precisely as before. Seb pulled a good race again although everything in the car didn't work, Pärmäkoski said.

Yet Red Bull isn't the only rooster on the roof.

– McLaren is close and keeps the team on their guard, Pärmäkoski reminds.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Pärmäkoski is Vettel's helper and doctor at the same time

Finnish trainer Tommi Pärmäkoski is tuning WDC Sebastian Vettel for the third year just like the German star tunes his own RB7-car. The demands grow year by year because the 23-year old German F1-star might want to drive until he is 40.

Is the trainer's job easier when he works with such a young man instead of lets say a 42-year old man like Vettel's former idol Michael Schumacher?

– I'm sure his youth is an advantage. I can put strain on Sebastian in a different way because a young person recovers much more faster and he can train in a different way. We can do everything more diversely and we don't have to think as much at the relation between recovering and training like the case with a more experienced man would be, Pärmäkoski says.

– In a way youth is an advantage but on the other hand it requires more work because the goal is to drive for a long time. That's why you have to proceed systematically.

Then what does a job as a WDC's physical trainer mean?

– It's a big unity. All the nutrition, food and liquids, rest and strain, all training, what we do and when we do it. I'm like a helper who at times runs with his hair standing up straight from one place to another.

– On the other hand I'm the person who Sebastian works with most closely. I'm sort of his mental support every moment. I'm also in charge of when we fly to the race locations, when we leave them and what we will do in the meantime. It's a big part of mental wellbeing.

Tough season educated even more

Pärmäkoski chews a while on the question if he is in his dream work.

– Of course this is a very interesting job. There are many kinds of sports and different kinds of sportsmen. I'm sure that I have time to experience something else too. At the moment I'm happy that I got a ride with the reigning WDC and got to see from close just how tough his mental state was in such tough places. I don't think many can say that they have watched on a daily basis from close how a championship like this has been won.

– Of course it requires a good car but when you have a good car all the other blocks also have to be in place in order to win.

How different is Vettel now mentally and physically?

– Last season was difficult and it educated him a lot. He had different troubles and different mistakes starting from crashing into his team mate. The championship really didn't come easily. If possible it strenghtens Sebastian mentally even more now that he knows he is good enough to win the championship.

– Physically I think that he is pretty much on the same level. We started training later because first he had to calm down and rest after different championship-festivities. When Bahrain was cancelled we got an extra time of two weeks that again was nothing but training.

Picked up more Finnish

Pärmäkoski and Vettel talk English with each other. Yet they haven't forgotten Finnish.

– He has picked up a few new words again, the trainer smiles.

Pärmäkoski has also cleared up how Vettel was able to ask in Finnish where his invitation to the castle is when he was interviewed right after becoming WDC.

– I asked about it and Sebastian had learned that word from me. Yet it came to his mind because Kimi Räikkönen had told him at one time that if you win the championship then you get an invitation to the castle. Yet it was unbelievable how he remembered it at that exact moment, Pärmäkoski laughs.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Pärmäkoski knows Vettel's ability to strike

Turun Sanomat 5.3 2010 11:15:19

Sebastian Vettel's personal trainer is Finnish Tommi Pärmäkoski. Both men came to Red Bull last winter.

Which one is a physically stronger contendent for the championship - the youngest (Vettel) or the oldest German star (Michael Schumacher)?

– It's hard to tell since I don't know the the physical state of the older man. I'm sure he has the basics in order too. Hopefully the younger one is stronger. At least he has done good things right but the old doesn't look bad either when you look at him, Pärmäkoski thinks.

– Schumacher was the one who lifted the physical condition up to a completely new level in F1. Sebastian is from that age who knows how beneficial it is for a driver.

26-year old Pärmäkoski came to F1 by accident.
– I was in Kuortane when McLaren had their camp there. I went to look at what kind of training F1-drivers do. That way Sebastian heard about me. He had an Italian personal trainer who couldn't work full-time because he had a family. I came in his place.

Pärmäkoski himself played icehockey earlier.

Vettel and Pärmäkoski are very similar personalities and get along perfectly.
– It's important that our relationship works so well because we spend 300 days a year together. The social action is highlighted.

Pärmäkoski admits that Vettel is a very demanding employer.
– Of course a top athlete always has demands of what he wants. I think that Seb has clear goals. On the other hand Seb also questions what he is doing and wants to know why things are done.

Vettel and Pärmäkoski moved closer to the German border in the autumn and they live now in a small village 40 km away from Zürich airport.

Even though Vettel is moving he is still going to continue his badminton-hobby with Räikkönen.

– Kimi is one hour away from Seb. Badminton will definitely keep on going. It's a Number One -thing.

– I've heard that the Finn is still a little ahead but don't go and tell Kimi that we are training a damn lot of badminton in secret, Pärmäkoski jokes.

Vettel has learned a lot of Finnish from Räikkönen and Pärmäkoski. Yet Pärmäkoski and Vettel communicate in English.
– I have studied German. I talk more German than Seb talks Finnish eventhough he is better in Finnish swearwords than I am in German swearwords.

Vettel has prepared himself very well for upcoming season. His physical condition is good.
– You don't start the season just like that. We have specific schedules, when there's more training and when there's more resting. The difficulty is the travelling and the huge amount of media-work in the business, Pärmäkoski says.

Source: Turun Sanomat /HEIKKI KULTA
Courtesy: Nicole

[Video] Sebastian Vettel climbs Mount Vesuvius

Thanks: Kati@ Sebastian-Vettel.org