Sebastian Vettel’s swansong was perhaps not as successful as he would’ve liked, as Aston Martin missed out on sixth in the Constructors’ Championship by the smallest of margins.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a strong weekend on the whole for the now retired German, after he made a final Q3 appearance before enjoying some brilliant battles in the race at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Aston Martin ultimately, though, put the 35-year-old on the wrong strategy, after opting to make Vettel go very long on his first stint, before a shorter stint at the end of the race.
This plan didn’t pay off in the end, as Vettel seriously struggled for pace at the end of his first stint, with him having been a “sitting duck” to those behind who’d already pitted.
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After he made his stop, though, the German had excellent pace that saw him rise through the field to P12, before being elevated into the points.
Retirements for his friends Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, elevated the Aston Martin driver into the points, just.
With Lance Stroll having been in eighth, Vettel had to get past Daniel Ricciardo for P9 to claim the team sixth in the standings; alas, he came just short in 10th.
It meant that Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo ended the year on the same number of points; however, the Hinwil-based outfit claimed the position having claimed a better result during the season.
Valtteri Bottas’ fifth place at Imola ultimately saved the Swiss side in the end.
Vettel, nevertheless, put on a fine display, one which ended in several donuts in the middle of the start/finish straight.
Unfortunately, Vettel, Alonso and Hamilton couldn’t replicate their in-sync donuts on the start/finish straight that they so famously did in 2018, due to the unfortunate race for the former team-mates.
Despite this, Alonso shared many incredible moments with Vettel throughout the weekend, as the pair reminisced about their epic 2012 title battle at times.
Alonso revealed on Saturday how pleased he was to see Vettel make it to Q3, with the German having claimed ninth and Alonso 10th.
“Yeah, I was very happy,” said Alonso, when asked about Vettel’s Q3 appearance.
Alonso added that he had an “eye” on the German to ensure that he enjoyed his final qualifying to the maximum, with everyone having wanted a “smooth weekend” for the four-time World Champion.
Incredibly, after the race, it was revealed that Alonso told Vettel that he wouldn’t attack him on the first lap, given that the pair started on the fifth row together.
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He certainly kept his promise to “take care of him”, with the duo having been together all race until the 41-year-old’s retirement.
“I think – it’s not that we tried to help him, but we all tried to have an eye on him when we saw him in the mirror, when he’s coming on a fast lap or whatever, because we all want a smooth weekend for him,” Alonso told reporters.
“Even [in the race], I think he will start ninth and I will start tenth, so I will take care of him at the start and the first lap. Let’s hope we both see the chequered flag.”