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Sebastian Vettel does not believe there has been a “changing of the guard” in Formula One, saying older drivers would thrive with “the right tools”
Max Verstappen won his first F1 world title last season, dethroning Lewis Hamilton in the most dramatic fashion in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
Red Bull’s Verstappen leads Charles Leclerc by nine points in the battle for the 2022 title, with the 37-year-old Hamilton sixth.
Vettel, 34, has picked up only five points for Aston Martin, while the 40-year-old Fernando Alonso having 10 points to his name
Verstappen, Leclerc and George Russell – all aged 24 – have emerged as a new generation of drivers with long careers ahead of them.
Four-time F1 champion Vettel says they are fortunate to have cars that enable them to challenge for victories.
Asked about the young drivers coming through, the German told Stats Perform: “I think it very much depends how competitive your environment is.
“Obviously, usually you’re saying that there’s a changing of the guard, Lewis has been arguably fighting for the title until the very last lap last year, so it’s not too long ago.
“I think it depends always on the situation you’re in for sure. There’s drivers that are a little bit older like Fernando and Lewis then myself, but I’m sure that you give us the right tools, we still can do the right work.”
Vettel hopes Ferrari can give Leclerc every chance of winning his first F1 title.
He said: “Obviously, Charles is one of them and in a good car he deserves to be up there. Hopefully the car will be good enough for him to fight for the title this year until the end.
“We will see, throughout the field you have more that one or two drivers that will be able to battle for victories.
“But usually the right drivers get the right package at the right time, so I’m very happy for him and hopefully he has the car to do it until the end.”
Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%, partners of the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team, are bringing F1 fans the passion from inside the garage via a new multi-sensory experience ‘IL PITSTOP’ which is travelling around Europe this summer. ‘IL PITSTOP’ will immerse fans in the sights, sounds and smells of an F1 garage, whilst providing an opportunity to trial the crisp and refreshing taste of Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%.
Max Verstappen says it would be “completely wrong” to introduce a salary cap for Formula One drivers who “put our lives at risk”.
F1 introduced a budget cap at the start of last season and that figure was reduced to $140m (£119m) a team this year.
There has been talk of a limit being place on the wages drivers are paid, but world champion Verstappen made it perfectly clear what he thinks about the prospect of that being implemented.
“It’s still a bit vague. I think no one really knows where it is going to go but from my side, it’s completely wrong,” he said ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix:
“I think at the moment, F1 is becoming more and more popular and everyone is making more and more money, including the teams and FOM [Formula One Management].
“Everyone is benefitting, so why should the drivers, with their IP rights and everything, be capped? We actually bring the show and put our lives at risk, because we do, eventually. So for me, it’s completely wrong.”
Verstappen says youngsters making their way in junior categories would also be affected.
He added: “Also, in all of the junior categories, if you see how many of the drivers have a sponsor or a backer who will have a certain percentage of their income in F1 or whatever.
“I think it’s going to limit that a lot because they’ll never get their return in money and if you get a cap, so it will hurt all the junior categories as well and I don’t think you want that.”
Sebastian Vettel has questioned how much Lewis Hamilton is enjoying racing amid his struggles in the 2022 Formula One season.
Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, and Mercedes have battled issues with the new design of their car during the early throes of the campaign.
The 37-year-old has just 50 points to his name in the drivers’ standings, and sits 75 behind leader and defending champion Max Verstappen heading into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Hamilton has just one podium finish this campaign, a third-place finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix opener, from seven races as Mercedes have failed to keep the pace with Red Bull and Ferrari.
Aston Martin driver Vettel pondered whether Hamilton is still getting the same joy he previously did.
“He had a package where he was able to win,” four-time world champion Vettel said. “Obviously, it’s been a little different for myself the last few years, but that’s how it goes sometimes.
“You still try to make the most of it, but for sure, in terms of how much you enjoy it, when you get used to winning there is no feeling that can replace that.
“But having said that you have to work together as a team to try and get back up.”
Mercedes have repeatedly struggled with ‘porpoising’ – bouncing at high speed – and not racing at the optimum height with their W13 car.
That has left them in the wake of a dominant season so far for Red Bull and Ferrari, and Vettel acknowledged the difficulties as he suggested Aston Martin are having problems of their own.
“I don’t think Mercedes pulled back voluntarily; I think they are obviously having difficulties extracting the most from their car just like many other people have,” he added.
“But others that have got it together more so the balance has shifted a little bit. But for us that’s not what is most important, the most important is about looking at ourselves where we are.
“And as I said at the moment, we are not happy with where we are, we would like to be further up but there’s a lot of work going into the project and hopefully we will see some better results soon.”
Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%, partners of the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team, are bringing F1 fans the passion from inside the garage via a new multi-sensory experience ‘IL PITSTOP’ which is travelling around Europe this summer. ‘IL PITSTOP’ will immerse fans in the sights, sounds and smells of an F1 garage, whilst providing an opportunity to trial the crisp and refreshing taste of Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%.
Sebastian Vettel is confident Aston Martin can improve their results after a disappointing start to 2022 amid doubts over his future in Formula One.
The four-time world champion is nearing the end of his contract with Aston Martin and it remains to be seen whether he will continue in the sport beyond this season.
Aston Martin’s form has done little to quieten talk of retirement.
Vettel was 12th in the drivers’ championship with 43 points in 2021. After missing the first two races of this season with COVID-19, he has claimed only five points from five grands prix.
However, as F1 returns to Baku, the scene of a second-placed finish for Vettel last season, he is hopeful changes to the car – which provoked controversy and questions from Red Bull due to the similarities the two cars now share – can spark an upturn in fortunes.
He told Stats Perform: “Obviously we are not aiming to be where we are now. But yeah let’s see, we still have some races ahead of us and the team is pushing hard to improve the car.
“With the new set of regulations, there’s always a risk you might get it wrong and I think that we have changed our path with a different car that we have adopted now and we believe that it is a better option for the races in the future.
“At the moment, we are not happy with where we are, we would like to be further up but there’s a lot of work going into the project and hopefully we will see some better results soon.”
Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%, partners of the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team, are bringing F1 fans the passion from inside the garage via a new multi-sensory experience ‘IL PITSTOP’ which is travelling around Europe this summer. ‘IL PITSTOP’ will immerse fans in the sights, sounds and smells of an F1 garage, whilst providing an opportunity to trial the crisp and refreshing taste of Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%.
Jun 06, 2022 LaLiga
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