Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough has spoken about the “machine” that is four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel, as the German comes ever closer to his final race in Formula 1.
Prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix, the 53-time Grand Prix winner announced that after much deliberation, he would be retiring from Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season.
The German has enjoyed an incredible career, which began with a substitute performance for Robert Kubica in the 2007 United States Grand Prix for BMW-Sauber at Indianapolis.
In 2008 the 35-year-old moved to Toro Rosso (now known as AlphaTauri), where he claimed his first victory at the Faenza-based team’s home race, the Italian Grand Prix.
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Vettel was quickly promoted to Red Bull to partner Mark Webber in 2009, where he went on to claim four consecutive World Drivers’ Championships from 2010-2013.
This was followed by a move to Ferrari in 2015, before making the final move of his career to Aston Martin last season.
His career at the pinnacle of motorsport has ended somewhat disappointingly, with the German being a regular non-points finisher.
This is largely down to Aston Martin having not built a points-worthy car, with the AMR22 having been a hassle for Vettel and Lance Stroll.
It was expected that Vettel would continue next season; however, nobody could blame him for opting to leave the sport and spend more time with his wife and three young children.
McCullough believes Vettel is the “ultimate professional” who is continuing to work tirelessly, despite being just six races away from leaving the sport.
“He is the ultimate professional really, so I would say no to that,” said McCullough when asked if the German’s attitude had changed since announcing his retirement.
“Maybe he is a bit more relaxed in himself but I wouldn’t see that in the engineering office or the way he drives the car.
“Sebastian is a bit of a machine from the work side of things.”
Following on from Vettel’s announcement, it was revealed a few days later that Fernando Alonso would be replacing the German in 2023.
McCullough explained that it’s been “great fun” working with the four-time World Champion since 2021, who he says has “brought a lot to the team”.
“Sebastian has been great fun to work with for the last 18 months or so, very thoughtful, very strong on the engineering side,” added McCullough.
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“He has brought a lot to the team in how we operate and how we look at things.
“A very inquisitive mind, great fun to be with but he also understands how to lift the team from a morale side of things really well.
“It has been an utter pleasure and I’m looking forward to the final races with him.”