Vettel welcomes the rise of the AMR 22

Aston Martin and in particular his boss Lawrence Stroll had placed a lot of hope in the AMR 22 at the time of its launch last February. Four months later, the car has still not met expectations to allow Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll to string together good results.

Faced with the blatant lack of performance on the track, all Aston Martin teams mobilized to restore a 2^e life at the AMR 22. In Barcelona last May, the English team made a large number of improvements which radically changed the appearance of the British mount, including the resemblance to the RB18 of Red Bull had enlivened the paddock.

A first step forward for Vettel

If the AMR 22's outing in Catalonia was not successful, Aston Martin began to see its progress in the following rounds (Monaco, Azerbaijan) where Sebastian Vettel made a series of points finishes before finishing there. at the door in Canada. “ She's getting a little better, recognized Vettel recently when making a first assessment of the AMR 22 version 2.0.

We didn't have any new parts these last races (the latest having been introduced in Spain. Editor’s note) so it was about experimenting with different settings and adjusting them to better understand the car and how far it can go. You have to keep in mind that in Barcelona it was a brand new car and we had no experience with it.."

Aston Martin has not completed development of the AMR 22. ©DPPI/A. Vincent

A grouped platoon

Relegated to the back of the grid a few months ago, just like Williams, Aston Martin seems to have found some strength again. More competitive, the new AMR 22 is in fact closer to its rivals than at the start of the season when it struggled to show itself.

« It's very tight, continues Sebastian Vettel. There are Alpine, Alpha Tauri, Alfa Romeo, ourselves and if Williams has a good weekend, they can end up in the same wagon. So it's a tight peloton and if we manage to find a little more (performance), then it will start to pay off immediately and be better."

If at present the AMR 22 is still discreet compared to the other cars on the grid, Sebastian Vettel does not intend to give up. The four-time champion remains aware that there is still a long way to go.

« It is necessary to be realistic, believes the German. Finishing in the points is a great success for us. If we can be in the Top 10 range and stay there in qualifying and in the race, it will be good for us. The first four places on the grid are already reserved (Ferrari and Red Bull), Mercedes is also ahead of the rest of the peloton. There are therefore 4 positions left to fill. McLaren should be strong again. It's not going to be easy to get there but we're going to fight and keep pushing. » The message got through.

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