CAR ITALIAN GP
Graphic shows layout of Autodromo Nazionale di Monza road course, site of the Italian Grand Prix
Graphic shows layout of Autodromo Nazionale di Monza road course, site of the Italian Grand Prix
Italy F1 GP Auto Racing
Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso of Spain, right, talks to Red Bull driver Mark Webber, of Australia, during a press conference in preparation for the...
Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso of Spain, right, talks to Red Bull driver Mark Webber, of Australia, during a press conference in preparation for the Sunday's Formula one race at the Monza racetrack, in Monza, Italy, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Italy F1 GP Auto Racing
Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso, of Spain, left, smiles as his teammate Felipe Massa, of Brazil, looks on during a press conference in view of Sunday...
Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso, of Spain, left, smiles as his teammate Felipe Massa, of Brazil, looks on during a press conference in view of Sunday's Formula one race at the Monza racetrack, in Monza, Italy, Thursday, Sept. 8 , 2011. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Italy F1 GP Auto Racing
Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany arrives at the paddock ahead of Sunday's Formula One race at the Monza racetrack, in Monza, Italy, Thursd...
Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany arrives at the paddock ahead of Sunday's Formula One race at the Monza racetrack, in Monza, Italy, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Sebastian Vettel is relishing his position as the runaway Formula One leader.
The Red Bull driver enters this weekend's Italian Grand Prix with a commanding 92-point lead over teammate Mark Webber and has won seven of the 12 races thus far this season.
It's a sharp contrast from last year, when Vettel didn't take the lead until the final race in Abu Dhabi.
The German said Thursday that "we've made very few mistakes and I think we deserve to be in that position."
He said the Red Bull team has improved considerably since last year, and that "a lot of the things that you don't see on TV have made us more consistent. ... The team is a lot calmer now and doesn't panic as much."
