If you take a look at the Germans driving record on the surface you see some very confronting numbers. Vettel manages to take the checked flag every 3.53 times he is on the track, that is the greatest strike rate of all time in the modern era.
His dominance also outweighs that of the achievements of the much revered driver and fellow German Michael Schumacher, at the same age.
Sorry about the pun but if numbers are your "driving force" for making decisions, than yes you could say that he arguably could be the greatest, or one of the greatest drivers of all time.
Personally I would rather go a little deeper and look at the contributing factors that affect the careers of modern era drivers.
The first factor is the obvious choice and that is to take a look at what team you drive for. How big is the budget that is used to fill your garage with technology? How experienced are the engineers and scientists that maximise the potential of the car through the engine and aerodynamics?
Of these factors it is clear Sebastian Vettel has a clear edge over his rivals and even his Australian team mate Mark Webber. In the modern world of F1 driving it only takes a minuscule change to the dynamics of a car to get maximum results, and this can secure you a potentially major advantage.
Of course there are a few other factors in racing, like choosing when to run your soft and hard tyres and also your pit stop strategy can play a major role. As important as these roles seem, when you have such a speed and acceleration advantage they play a much lesser role than intended.
Sure there is no denying that Sebastian Vettel is a great driver and perhaps a leader in the current crop of combatants. But calling him the greatest driver of all time is so irresponsible and so far beyond premature it hurts just to type the phrase.
Hopefully the question will be answered over the next decade when he faces a few adversity tests. If there is one thing you can say about F1 it is that the technology is always evolving and your team is never guaranteed to be on top for too long.
Maybe he will prove me wrong, but let's see him answer a few of the tough questions and see what the real answer is.
Josh Hinds is a school chaplain on the Gold Coast, a family man and PSI's IT professional. Josh is an experienced writer on international sport.
Josh Hinds' previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/joshua-hinds.html