CHINA: MOTOR RACING - Sebastian Vettel limbers up for the Chinese Grand Prix with some Kung Fu fighting in Shanghai

Record ID: 872638

  • Title: CHINA: MOTOR RACING - Sebastian Vettel limbers up for the Chinese Grand Prix with some Kung Fu fighting in Shanghai
  • Date: 12th April 2012
  • Summary: SHANGHAI, CHINA (APRIL 11, 2012) (REUTERS) FILM SET RED BULL FORMULA ONE DRIVER SEBASTIAN VETTEL ARRIVING AT FILM SET CREW AT FILM SET
  • Embargoed: 27th April 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China, China
  • City:
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA9MH6BZ6NIE55XZBZHNT982TT1
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  • Story Text: Backmarkers beware: Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel has been limbering up for Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix with some Kung Fu fighting.
    After calling Indian tail-ender Narain Karthikeyan a 'Cucumber' following a clash at the last race in Malaysia, the Red Bull driver got down to work on Wednesday (April 11) with palms outstretched and legs braced.
    The 24-year-old was making a martial arts short film, "Kung Fu Vettel: Drive of the Dragon", in a promotion for team partner and car manufacturer Infiniti alongside Chinese actress and model Celina Jade.
    Jade, who starred recently alongside Russell Crowe in "Man with the Iron Fists', taught the German some basic moves at the Shanghai film lot while the double champion gave her the benefit of his driving expertise at the nearby Tianma circuit.
    Vettel showed some enthusiasm for his part, sending a roughly dressed local sprawling to the cobbles with a deft twist of the wrist.
    One of the scenes in the film, to be released in May, involves the champion tying up one of the villains with a seat belt while reminding him of the importance of safety.
    Vettel said he enjoyed his Kung Fu experience, while thanking his co-star for her help.
    "It was quite amazing to see how many people were there are on the set, and how much work it takes to put the pieces together. And for only a couple of seconds how much work there is obviously behind the scenes going on. It was quite tricky for me to pick up the sequences, I had to manage, but obviously, that's what she does all the time and she's very quick in all this," he said.
    Jade said she had talked to Vettel mostly about balance and control, as well as some blocking. In return, she said he was a great race car teacher on the tracks.
    "I was a bit nervous before I came to the race track. Not nervous about him driving me, I am the happiest passenger. But, definitely nervous about me driving around the race track with him in the passenger seat. But he's a really good co-pilot, he was teaching me how to go through the curves, and stuff. I didn't realise it was such a smooth technique.
    It's a little bit like tai chi actually," she said.
    Vettel won 11 races last year with a record 15 poles but failed to win either of the two races so far or qualify on a front row dominated by McLaren. He is sixth overall.
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