After a complicated goodbye FerrariGerman driver Sebastian Vettel was looking for a new start in the team Aston Martin, change the atmosphere and restart your career; However, the debut was just as frustrating as his more recent times with the Formula one: Far from the points and the target of criticism from fans and former drivers.
The German had a difficult qualifying in the Bahrain Grand Prix that opened the 2021 season of the top category, in his presentation for the green car he could not overcome the first leg, with the third worst time of the session, only above the two cars from HareAs if that wasn’t enough, he was given a five-place penalty for not respecting the yellow flags and started from last position on the grid.
In the race the situation did not improve, he had a contact with the car of the Frenchman Esteban Ocon (Alpine) and was given a 10-second penalty for finishing 15th, one lap behind the leaders and even surpassed by the Williams by George Russell. The worst possible start for the four-time series champion.
The critics did not wait. One of the most powerful was the former British pilot Damon Hill about the F1 Nation podcast: “It’s like seeing that Mexican party game, the piñata, under constant attack; what is happening to him is hard to perceive, something has to click on his psychological constellation, he has to see a mystic and that he is taking that kind of evil spirit away, he must have done something negative to deserve it ”.
The result in Bahrain joined the nightmare years that Vettel lived at the end of his cycle at Ferrari. Having been Lewis Hamilton’s main title rival in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the arrival of young Monegask Charles Leclerc to the Scuderia in place of his friend Kimi Räikkönen in 2019 seemed to influence his performance.
From five wins in 2018, he went to one on the next calendar, from 12 podiums to nine and from second in the championship with 320 points, he dropped to fifth with 240 units, surpassed even by his teammate, who only had one season. experience and with a Sauber car.
For 2020, the situation was even more desperate for the four-time monarch with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013, with Ferrari fully focused on Leclerc and with the announcement of Carlos Sainz signing to replace him in 2021, the German had his worst. years in F1 since its rookie stage, with just one podium (third in Turkey) and 33 points for 13th in the championship.
For this reason the also former pilot David Coulthard He hypothesized about the German’s present: “I wonder if it is part of a brand construction, but not for Aston Martin, but for Lance Stroll (his new partner). If he can beat Vettel he can say he can become a champion in the future too, I’m not saying he is or isn’t, but there are still doubts about where he scores in the pecking order. When he does ‘Seb’ what Charles (Leclerc) did to him, I don’t know how the season can end ”, said the Scot on the On the Marbles podcast.
For weeks it was speculated that Sebastian would take a sabbatical or even retire at the age of 33, until millionaire Lawrence Stroll recruited him to the new Racing Point project, a squad that was fourth in the constructors table. In 2020, with 64 points more than Ferrari, but far from having a car that can fight for the victories in every race.
“The team isn’t a winner yet, it’s growing, he knows, he will understand, but how will it help him in terms of motivation and timing? I’m nervous, ” his ex-partner said Red Bull Mark Webber also on the On the Marbles podcast.
Vettel’s demise coincided with the Scuderia’s relegation, but it takes on a new dimension with the bad debut in a garage where he should feel more comfortable. “How many bullets do you have in the room?” I don’t know, I think he will enjoy the setting, no doubt he is not in Maranello and in an English setting, he has always had a good time, I know, which will not automatically translate into performance; he’ll like it more, but I don’t know how that will end on the timer and that’s what F1 is all about, ”added the Australian.
Heppenheim’s took the top flight by storm. In his debut with Clean in the 2007 United States Grand Prix he was eighth and to end that campaign he came fourth Red Bull in China, even less than a year later and still in the second Red Bull team, he won in Italy to demonstrate his quality.
Former racing driver Gerhard Berger was the director of the garage with which he shared that success more than a decade ago and he also analyzed what is happening with the German. “Sebastian is a four-time champion, he is undoubtedly one of the excellent drivers, but he never reacts well under pressure, let’s not forget that Daniel (Ricciardo) came to Red Bull, he was very strong and was a threat to ‘Seb’ , it is difficult for him to deal with that ”.
The Austrian went back to 2014, when Webber stepped down after the German’s fourth crown and promoted Red Bull Ricciardo, who had also excelled with Toro Rosso. In that season, the first of the hybrid era, hegemony ceased to be the energy drink team to start the Mercedes era; However, Daniel had 71 points more than his partner, who moved to fifth place at the table as king.
In 2015 ‘Seb’ went to Ferrari, to partner with Räikkönen, “At Ferrari it was the same (with Leclerc), now I think he is not loose, relaxed, maybe he wants to show things, but at the moment it is is not possible because the car is not good enough, or it is not in good condition, if you are in that situation you have to sit down, take a step back and calm down and success returns ”, Berger immerses himself in the podcast. Fast Lane.
“Somehow it hasn’t worked for him, he’s starting to make mistakes, people are asking him questions, and there he goes little by little, more and more busy and he doesn’t like it. It’s a tricky situation when you’re on a team and your partner is faster (Stroll was 10th in Bahrain) and it’s clear they might be spending more time with him, but it’s something you’re dealing with, ” concluded the winner of 10 races in the series.
The motivation for Aston Martin, however, is that barely one race out of 23 is scheduled on the 2021 calendar, he has a few weeks to better understand his new car and draw conclusions from what is going on in the preseason and the upcoming season. start of the race has happened. clock; with his experience he has the ability to change the situation.
“He feels that punishment, and the blows he’s taken worry him, I’m afraid this will get worse, he has to let go of all the bad, the negative feelings, if he does, he has all the capabilities in the world,” he can run forward alongside Lewis and Max (Verstappen), “said Damon Hill. Vettel’s job is to regain his rightful place in the motorsport elite.