Written by Ana
Published on 24 October 2021
(Sebastian Vettel ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix)
Sebastian Vettel has undoubtedly had a rollercoaster of a season. The German driver has been on the podium twice this season, in Baku and in Budapest, and despite the latter being nullified due to a disqualification, it does not discount the performance he has shown he can achieve.
However, the highs of his season came at the cost of numerous lows as well, with strings of out-of-the-points finishes, qualifying eliminations that left him out of Q3, and instances of pure bad luck. If the scenes at the Turkish and Russian Grand Prix are anything to go off, it is evident that the Aston Martin lacked significant pace, despite Vettel’s best defensive moves against overtakes coming from the back of the grid.
Nevertheless, with the Aston Martin team announcing early in the weekend that Vettel would take a new engine and thus take a grid penalty by starting from the back, what can he do to improve in the last few races in the season?
Kicking off on the back foot
Although Vettel had a good qualifying result in Spa, starting and ending in P5 due to the race’s cancellation, the real test of racing after the summer break was at the newly revamped Zandvoort circuit.
The weekend started off badly for the German, as a blocking incident by the two Haas cars left him unable to make it out of Q3. Hence, he did his best to fight his way to the front, but a spin in the middle of the race did not help his cause. He started P17 and ended the race in P13.
Luck continued to swing the other way for him in Monza, as his teammate Lance Stroll forced him wide, subsequently causing Vettel to make contact with Esteban Ocon in the opening lap of the race. The circumstances then made it difficult for him to make it back into the points, even though his initial good start meant that he was running in P7 before the incident.
The Russian Grand Prix was another ‘what if’ scenario for the Aston Martin team, as both of their cars were in the points before rain started to pour. The team made the crucial decision to stay out longer, leaving the two cars out of the points in the end.
Turkey was not kind to Vettel either, as things looked to be alright with him starting in the points due to Carlos Sainz receiving a grid penalty for his engine replacement. Even though he was in the position to finish in the points, it was clear that the rest of the mid field just had the pace that he lacked, leaving him just out of the points once again.
A glimmer of hope
Despite everything, not all hope is lost for the four-time world champion.
The engine replacement showcases a chance for Vettel to redeem himself in the latter stages of the season. With nothing to lose, the Aston Martin team could capitalize this opportunity to gain more points, or at least have a more positive outcome before closing the curtain on 2021.
Vettel starts from P18 this Sunday, after out qualifying Fernando Alonso and George Russell, who will also be taking grid penalties for engine changes. So far, the Aston Martin has shown decent pace in practice sessions and in qualifying, even earning a few purple sectors before falling victim to track limits.
It is crucial for the Aston Martin team and Vettel alike to keep working together in order to make the most out of what they have in order to secure their future and legacy. Nonetheless, it will be exciting to see how one of the greatest drivers in the sport steps up to the challenge the rest of the year and the upcoming season will bring.
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