Sebastian Vettel is looking forward to his new Formula One career with Aston Martin following a disappointing 2016 season with Ferrari.
In 2020, things went from bad to worse for the four-time Formula One champion.
Last season, he only finished on the podium once and finished 10 of 17 races outside the top 10 in a stressful atmosphere made worse by the fact that Ferrari did not give him a new contract.
“The whole year was a challenge. I’m obviously not happy with how last year went in terms of performance, in terms of my performance,” he said. “There are things that didn’t go well and things I would have liked to go differently. It’s not a secret that at stages I wasn’t at my happiest.”
Vettel’s confidence was already shaken after losing the 2017 and 2018 championships to Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, despite dominating both championships at the halfway point.
In 2019 and 2020, a driver who still shares the F1 record for most wins in a season with Michael Schumacher (13 with Red Bull in 2013) and has 53 wins among his 121 podiums was outclassed by his junior colleague Charles Leclerc.
It was evident who was considered No. 1 in the team when Leclerc was awarded a lucrative new deal through 2024, whereas Vettel was not even offered one. Vettel’s frown lines increased after he finished 13th, 12th, and 14th in the final three races of 2020.
“It hadn’t been to my standards. I’ve never really cared what people think or say, or write,” Vettel said. “That’s why it’s important I’m at peace with myself. (I have) very, very high expectations of myself.”
He even considered retiring, but a move to Aston Martin has rekindled his passion for the sport.
“I’m not too old, there are older drivers returning to the grid,” he said, referring to 39-year-old Fernando Alonso. “I don’t think it’s an age thing, I think it’s more a question of (whether) you have the team and the car around you.”
The Aston Martin team uses Mercedes engines and is controlled by Lawrence Stroll, a Canadian businessman whose son Lance is the team’s other driver.
Within three to five years, Aston Martin hopes to be a title challenger.
The atmosphere at Aston Martin, according to Vettel, is less stuffy than at Ferrari’s powerhouse. The Italian manufacturer’s brilliant red car is still the most recognisable name in Formula One history. Ferrari, on the other hand, hasn’t won a drivers’ championship since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, and its previous constructors’ championship was in 2008.
“It’s obviously very small (at Aston Martin) if you compare it to Ferrari at first,” Vettel said. “Things are a bit different, but it’s not about the fancy looks or the fancy expensive designer chairs in the office, it’s more about the work that is done behind the scenes.”
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