It would come as absolutely no shock that Aston Martin found four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel incredibly “motivational” during his two-year spell with the side, as they attempted to move to the front of the midfield.
Vettel’s move to Aston Martin for the 2021 season certainly marked the end of his time as a frontrunning driver, something he’d been for the vast majority of his career when racing for Red Bull and Ferrari.
With 53 Grand Prix victories to his name ahead of his move, Vettel failed to add to this tally whilst with the Silverstone-based team, with second at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix having been his best result.
Vettel spent most of his time driving for the team just below the top 10, a position that he didn’t enjoy racing in, something which is potentially a reason for his retirement.
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Aston Martin certainly aren’t as high up the order as they would’ve liked, with the side having finished seventh in 2022.
Even this might not have been possible without the brilliant German, whom Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough hails as a “lovely human being”.
“He’s had a big impact on our team,” McCullough told Formula1.com.
“He came from two big teams with the experience of winning races, winning championships, so he brought a lot of knowledge to our team, on a lot of small details: how to operate and how to develop the car, and what actually is important.
“The driver is one of the best sensors. We’ve got some very good tools and software, but the driver input is key. He’s very motivational, he’s a lovely human being. He pushes everyone in every area, and he’s helped us lift our game.
“Unfortunately, we’ve not quite given him a car good enough for him to challenge further up the grid, but we’ve definitely learned a lot from him and improved. I think, hopefully, in the next few years, we’re going to see the results of that.”
The team grew in stature throughout 2022; however, they let themselves down by starting the season so badly.
Both Vettel and Lance Stroll struggled for pace at the start of the season but eventually cemented their place as regular points finishers, as the side introduced solid developments for the AMR22.
The side will be hoping to start much further up the field in 2023, as Stroll and Fernando Alonso will have a car developed by former Red Bull head of aerodynamics Dan Fallows, something that should give them an edge over some midfield sides.
McCullough is certain that the team are on the right “path” looking into the future, with the aim being to “produce a better car next year”.
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“We’ve made a lot of progress, but we started a bit too far back,” added McCullough.
“I think we brought a lot of new people in and they are working well within the team, and we’re on a path, we’re all developing the same way.
“We know where the limitations are, we know what we’ve got to do. It’s just a matter of getting heads down and pulling the team together, as we grow, to try to continue to develop and produce a better car next year.”