Sebastian Vettel: “There is bound to be a day when the adventure will end”

A neglected look, a car whose nickname has still not been found, an absence in Jeddah which raises questions... Sebastian Vettel seems to be dragging his spleen in the paddock of the Formula 1 this season. The stable Aston Martin being stuck at the back of the grid with no points scored in three events (the only one in this case), this does not help to fuel the motivation of the quadruple world champion. “The car is obviously not fast enough compared to the competition, notes the German pilot. We still have a lot of work left. It's always frustrating to go out on the track and not end up where you want to be, or at least where you think you'll be. We know that a lot of elements are coming, we will see in the coming weeks if we are going in the right direction. The atmosphere is good, and we want to move forward. »

However, it did not take much more to see the first rumors appear about the future in Formula 1 of the man who will turn 35 in July and whose contract ends at the end of the year. The catastrophic Australian Grand Prix experienced by the British team fueled these emerging rumors. “Obviously, this is not the season we expected to have. In any case, the start of the season, because it would not be good to draw a line under it so early, we are only in the third race. It's a new regulation, there are so many things we're struggling with at the moment, especially in terms of performance. The other teams have the same kind of problems as us. There are still many things we can learn, that we can work on. It would be a terrible mistake to write off this season, especially since it could serve as a springboard for the next two, three or even four seasons. I've only done one race so far (Vettel was out of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia because of a positive Covid-19 test. Editor’s note), which I haven't even finished. This means that there is still a lot left, with a lot of things to improve. The spirit of the troops is good, the team really wants to fight to be in front. For the moment, we are not, it's no secret, but we are working a lot. » Aston Martin enjoyed a resurgence in form during qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix this Friday, with both cars in Q2 for the first time this season and even a Q3 for Sebastian Vettel. The German will start in ninth position in the sprint race this Saturday in Imola.

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There is no doubt that a single-seater which would rediscover the brilliance of green specific to the British brand could only encourage the former protégé of Red Bull to continue. It is indeed difficult to imagine him languishing for another year in an anemic team such as Aston Martin at the start of the 2022 financial year. “The future will tell us, for the moment, I remain focused on the moment T and we try to progress, assures the person concerned. This will not happen in a day, nor in a month. It is we who have chosen the path to progress, which will determine the years to follow. This is why I think it is very important to stay focused on what we need to do now. There is bound to be a day when the adventure will end for some and it will also begin for others. At the moment, I don't really know. I thought about a lot of things for the future before signing my current contract, so yes, I have lots of projects in mind, but who knows? »

“I had 15 wonderful years in F1, when you look back on it, continues Vettel. I was lucky enough to be in a position to fight for titles, victories, pole positions... Having a taste of it was great, but if you're not in that position, it obviously has a different flavor. You have to find another type of motivation, but it’s true that I want to taste it again. This is the nature and purpose of sport. For some of the people around me at the press conference, it's different. They are at the start of their career, they have not necessarily had the opportunity to be in a team where they could show what they were capable of. This will be a determining factor. The team is growing little by little. I'm not completely old, I still have a lot under my belt, even physically. It's not a problem at all, but that's obviously the goal, to fight for victories and podiums. As I said, there is still a lot of work to do. It’s an exciting time too. »  The exit from the tunnel still seems far away for Aston Martin and Sebastian Vettel, and nothing says at the moment that they will see the end together.

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With Tom Viala