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It’s old Sebastian Vettel again.
Informal, approachable, always a cool saying on the lips. You can tell that his move to Aston Martin was a great relief to him. He spent Thursday night alone in his motor home, making eggs for dinner. I was in a very good mood. Because the eggs tasted so much better now than the week before at Monza. He had doubts about his future in Formula 1 and was about to retire.
Because, as next year’s Aston Martin team boss Otmar Szafnauer confirmed, it took a long time for billionaire Lawrence Stroll’s team to make the decision. Keep Pérez or hire Vettel? That was the point of all questions.
The clause in Pérez’s contract is decisive
Racing Point helped so I learned SPORT1 – apparently a clause in Pérez’s contract. Consequently, Pérez’s team could resign without compensation if the Mexican is behind his teammate Lance Stroll after the Italian GP at the World Cup.
So the late decision in favor of Vettel also makes sense: before the Monza GP, the Mexican was just nine points behind his young Canadian teammate. In theory, it could have topped the table. But when Stroll finished third on the podium at Monza and Perez only managed one point at a time, the way was clear for Vettel.
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Szafnauer confirms that. “Lance has been with us for a few years. His father owns the team. When we thought about a driver change because Seb was available, we thought about options in the contract with Checo. Those options did not exist.” Spear. “
The announcement was very fast
Szafnauer practically apologized for the fact that he had to throw out smoke candles before the engagement. “Every time they asked me about a driver change, Pérez still had a contract that was valid for us,” said the Romanian. After Monza no more.
After that, everything happened extremely fast. So fast that Aston Martin couldn’t even take official photos of the new driver. SPORT1 learned: The photos used, which the team sent in the official announcement, came from Vettel himself, that the German had taken the photos two years ago as a private individual and now unearthed them again.
What he spoke for Vettel from the Aston Martin side: “He is 33 years old, still at the peak of his career, he has a lot of experience, he is extremely motivated, he works hard. Seb is the perfect match for us and our goals,” he said. Szafnauer. . “With Aston Martin and the new financial background, the new Silverstone plant, the increase in staff by 20 percent,” the team will grow significantly.
“Sebastian has the experience of four world championship titles and 53 wins and he will help us with that. We want to advance into the top three, the top four.”
Vettel can hit Stroll
Vettel sees it the same way: “I think Aston Martin is a legendary brand and the team has the potential to improve even more. It is a challenge and I am happy to accept it.” Money, the German emphasizes again, “didn’t matter.” He does not want to comment on the alleged annual salary of 15 million euros.
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Szafnauer removed the prejudice that the German should not beat his teammate Lance Stroll; after all, the Canadian is the son of the team owner. “There is no question,” Szafnauer emphasizes. “Vettel, of course, can beat Lance if he’s better. We always let our drivers race each other. That will also be the case in the future.”
One thing is for sure: the only option Vettel had could be the springboard to more wins, possibly titles as well.
Aston Martin, the right choice for Ecclestone
At least Vettel’s confidant, Bernie Ecclestone, is of that opinion.
“Seb didn’t have much of a choice, but Aston Martin could still be a hand with four aces for him,” he said in an interview with SPORT1. “If Mercedes stops as a factory team, Aston Martin could take on this role. Both brands are also linked by a cooperation in the automotive sector. If that happens, Sebastian has done everything right.”
Until then, Heppenheimer wants to leave his job at Ferrari decently. Next time Sunday at the Ferrari 1,000 race at Mugello. For wins, that’s for sure, he won’t be racing again this season. But with the new perspective, you can cope with this extremely frustrating understanding for a racing driver more easily.
