Sebastian Vettel has indicated that the reason he has not christened his AMR22 is because it is not fast enough to merit a name.
Over the years, the German has given his cars names such as “Kinky Kylie,” “Margherita” and, last year, “Honey Ryder” after the Honeychile Rider character in the James Bond film: Dr No.
The Silverstone team are yet to register a single point in 2022 following a dire start to the campaign, so the four-time world champion affirmed that he will think of one when the pace of the car improves.
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“I’ll wait for a bit more pace before I think of a name. Maybe we take a little bit more time than usual,” he said ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.
The lack of a name might not be the only consequence of a severely underperforming car though.
Vettel is now 34 years old and, having claimed four titles with Red Bull, will likely have little interest in spending the final years of his career racing at the back.
He was optimistic about Aston Martin’s prospects this year at their car launch ahead of the new season, but little did he know that the handling and the straight-line speed of the AMR22 are quite so abysmal, and highly unreflective of Lawrence Stroll’s five-year championship plan.
As a result, there may be little by the end of this year to convince him to extend his contract that expires at the end of 2022.
“The thing is, I think I’ve had a while now in the sport,” he told RacingNews365.com.
“I had good years and not-so-good years but, mostly I would say good years, great years, with a very competitive car and competitive team.
“Now, no doubt, I’m in a very competitive team. The team spirit is great and the goal is clear.
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“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’s weekend in Melbourne was a dreadful one. Having returned after missing the opening two rounds of the year due to COVID-19, he was fine 5,000 euros after taking to the track on a scooter following an engine failure in first practice.
He then crashed in final practice, before crashing again in the race, making for a miserable return to action for the former Ferrari driver.
He remarked after the race that there are “too many things” wrong with the car at present as the team try to get to grips with the new technical regulations.