Vettel makes Aston Martin debut in Silverstone shakedown
Sebastian Vettel has made his first on-track appearance as an Aston Martin Formula 1 driver during a shakedown of the team’s new car at Silverstone on Thursday.
Four-time world champion Vettel has joined the Aston Martin squad following its rebrand for the 2021 season as the British manufacturer returns to F1 after over 60 years away.
Vettel and team-mate Lance Stroll took part in the launch of the team’s new Aston Martin AMR21 F1 car on Wednesday before hitting the track on Thursday at Silverstone. Vettel and Stroll split duties in the car across the 100km of running permitted on demonstration Pirelli tyres. Pictures from the test showed conditions to be damp, kicking up some spray.
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Aston Martin Racing
It marked the first running of an Aston Martin F1 car since the 1960 British Grand Prix, when Roy Salvadori and Maurice Trintignant each drove an Aston Martin DBR5. Most teams are opting to use one of their two allocated filming days for the season ahead of testing in Bahrain next week in order to give their cars an initial shakedown.
Vettel will enjoy his first extended running in the AMR21 car at the start of pre-season testing, which takes place from 12-14 March in Bahrain.
Vettel said on Wednesday that he would wait until the first real test before gaining too much of an understanding of how the new Aston Martin car would fare this year.
“Maybe we’ll get a glance tomorrow, but then really in Bahrain with consistent conditions, [we can] get a feel of it,” said Vettel. “By the sounds of it is very different [to the Ferrari]. I hope it's coming my way, if there is something like that. We'll see how it goes.”
The run-out at Silverstone means Vettel has now driven cars belonging to five different F1 teams, following appearances for BMW, Toro Rosso, Red Bull and Ferrari. But it was his first time sampling Mercedes’ power units, something he said on Wednesday that he was curious to try out.
“The Mercedes power unit is supposedly the strongest on the grid,” Vettel said. “It will be my first time with Mercedes in Formula 1. I'm looking forward to see how they work.”
Related video
Domenicali: F1 may not have podiums after sprint race
F1 confirms Portimao as third round of 2021 season
The factors that could negate Red Bull's practice gap to Mercedes
Mercedes led the way in practice for Formula 1’s first race in Jeddah, where Red Bull was off the pace on both single-lap and long runs. But, if Max Verstappen can reverse the results on Saturday, factors familiar in motorsport’s main electric single-seater category could be decisive in another close battle with Lewis Hamilton...
Why Norris doesn’t expect Mr Nice Guy praise for much longer
Earning praise from rivals has been a welcome sign that Lando Norris is becoming established among Formula 1's elite. But the McLaren driver is confident that his team's upward curve can put him in the mix to contend for titles in the future, when he's hoping the compliments will be replaced by being deemed an equal adversary
What Ferrari still needs to improve to return to F1 title contention
After a disastrous 2020 in which it slumped to sixth in the F1 constructors' standings, Ferrari has rebounded strongly and is on course to finish third - despite regulations that forced it to carryover much of its forgettable SF1000 machine. Yet while it can be pleased with its improvement, there are still steps it must make if 2022 is to yield a return to winning ways
How F1 teams and personnel react in pressurised situations
OPINION: The pressure is firmly on Red Bull and Mercedes as Formula 1 2021 embarks on its final double-header. How the respective teams deal with that will be a crucial factor in deciding the outcome of the drivers' and constructors' championships, as Motorsport.com's technical consultant and ex-McLaren F1 engineer Tim Wright explains.
How getting sacked from Benetton made Mercedes' Allison
He’s had a hand in world championship-winning Formula 1 cars for Benetton, Renault and Mercedes, and was also a cog in the Schumacher-Ferrari axis. Having recently ‘moved upstairs’ as Mercedes chief technical officer, James Allison tells Stuart Codling about his career path and why being axed by Benetton was one of the best things that ever happened to him.
The remarkable qualities that propelled Kubica’s F1 comeback
It’s easy to look at Robert Kubica’s second Formula 1 career and feel a sense of sadness that he didn’t reach the heights for which he seemed destined. But as Ben Anderson discovered, performance and results are almost meaningless in this context – something more fundamental and incredible happened…
The humbling changes Ricciardo made to deliver for McLaren
From being lapped by his own teammate in Monaco to winning at Monza, it’s been a tumultuous first season at McLaren for Daniel Ricciardo. But, as he tells STUART CODLING, there’s more to the story of his turnaround than having a lovely summer holiday during Formula 1's summer break...
The potential benefits of losing the F1 constructors' title
As the battle continues to rage over the F1 2021 drivers' championship, teams up and down the grid are turning their attentions to the prize money attributed to each position in the constructors' standings. But F1's sliding scale rules governing wind tunnel and CFD use will soften the blow for those who miss out on the top places