New Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack is under no illusions regarding the necessity for the team to perform in 2022 to secure the commitment of Sebastian Vettel.
The four-time world champion joined Aston Martin from Ferrari ahead of the 2021 season, but he and Lance Stroll scored points 17 time between them as the Silverstone squad slumped to seventh in the Constructors’ Standings.
Having tasted title success and won 53 races in his career, there is little else for the German to achieve in the sport, so he previously conceded that his future is partly dependent on the package Aston Martin can give him this year.
“We want to progress and win. So, ultimately, having had the path that I have had so far, I’m mostly interested in winning and that will determine what the future brings,” Vettel said.
Krack has taken on his new role following the departure of Otmar Szafnauer, who has joined Alpine.
He previously worked with BMW in F1, and has no shortage of expertise and experience of just how strenuous it can prove to climb up the most competitive grid in the world.
He is aware that he and his team, having designed what they hope is a car that can thrive under the new technical regulations, must perform in 2022.
“It’s clear that a guy like Sebastian, a four-time world champion, he does not want to be 15th or 12th or eighth,” he told reporters.
“It is our task to deliver a performing car, or say, a performing structure because I think Sebastian is a clever guy.”
The 49-year-old, who will be working closely with former McLaren team principal and now Aston Martin CEO Martin Whitmarsh, acknowledges that Vettel will be looking at the team’s scope for the future as well as just this year.
“He will not be focusing just on this year’s car or whatever but focusing more on what is happening and if he sees the potential,” he added.
Vettel will line up alongside Stroll once more in 2022, with the new campaign kicking off on 20 March in Bahrain.
Whether Vettel will still be around for the end of chairman Lawrence Stroll’s five-year plan, which includes the construction of a brand-new headquarters in Silverstone, remains to be seen.