P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Aston Martin says Sebastian Vettel is responsible for “small changes” in the team that inspired its turnaround into a regular
Sebastian Vettel joined Aston Martin in 2021 but chose to retire after his second season due to the team’s failure to build on their promising 2020 performance. Aston Martin had consecutive seventh-place finishes in the Constructors’ Championship, while Fernando Alonso, who replaced Vettel, had a strong start to the season with six podium finishes in the first eight races. However, Aston Martin improved significantly and finished fifth in the standings, accumulating 225 more points than in the previous year. Performance Director Tom McCullough acknowledged that they didn’t provide Vettel with a competitive enough car during his two years with the team, but they were making progress by the end of his second year. McCullough also mentioned a similar situation at Williams, where Rubens Barrichello’s hard work in the previous seasons contributed to the success of the 2012 car, although he didn’t get to drive it.
