Sebastian Vettel won his fourth straight Formula One world championship on Sunday – and inevitably many began speculating whether he would be able to keep his domination going when new, less powerful engines are introduced next season.

Red Bull were virtually untouchable for most part of the past four seasons as Vettel piloted them to one victory after another, leaving his rivals scrambling for second place and forcing people to wonder if it was the car or the man at wheel that deserves “more” credit for the success.

But comparisons, as they say, are odious, whether measuring up men of equal virtue or ability, or pitting machine against its supremely skillful and talented operator who knows to extract the best from it.

The Red Bull car didn’t drive itself, and Vettel won only four of the first 10 races in the 2013 calendar when Kimi Raikkonen, Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso also tasted victories.

However, the German launched his six-race winning streak at the Belgian Grand Prix, with Sunday’s success in India giving him his fourth world title.

If it was all about the car, then how come Mark Webber, who also drives for Red Bull, didn’t win a single race this season?

The fact that he is only 26 with an outwardly happy-go-lucky personality perhaps gives out the wrong impression that he is not a serious student of the sport, but the truth is that he is a thinking champion who plots his moves in advance but is skillful enough to adjust and still emerge smelling of roses when things don’t go according to plan.

Vettel’s extraordinary driver skills were on show once again in India when he and Alonso pitted in the very early stages and found themselves in 19th and 20th place when back on the track. Twenty laps later, however, Vettel had eased his way up to second spot with Alonso stranded way behind in 14th.

Add to that his complete dedication and the long hours he spends with team officials and mechanics to make the car better. After all the champagne on Sunday, he was in the Red Bull paddock helping his crew pack up for Abu Dhabi.

“He has fantastic a work ethic. He always questions himself and inspires the people around him,” Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner said. “Sebastian has grown this year. The way he drove, what he delivered, it was his best year.”

Vettel and Red Bull still need to cope with the slew of new technical requirements for 2014.

“It’s a big, big project waiting for us next year,” said Vettel, almost relishing the challenge.

“I think teams like Mercedes, Ferrari spend a lot of time thinking of new ideas. It’s a new car, it’s a new engine so it will be an incredibly big challenge.”

Vettel emulated Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher with four straight world titles - and Alain Prost with four overall. But by the time he retires, every new Formula One driver would be wanting to emulate him.