Vettel to wait for ‘more pace’ before naming Aston Martin F1 car

Four-time F1 world champion Vettel had traditionally given his cars a nickname on the eve of each new season after discussions with his engineers and crew.

Vettel began the tradition at Red Bull before adopting Italian names for his cars during his time with Ferrari, such as Gina and Loria. He opted to call his first Aston Martin car in 2021 Honey Ryder after the Bond girl from the Dr. No film given the manufacturer’s ties with the franchise.

Vettel said ahead of the new season that he was already starting to think of some possible nicknames for the Aston Martin AMR22, but didn’t get the chance to take part in the first two races after testing positive for COVID-19.

Vettel has returned to the cockpit for round three of the season in Australia this weekend, but confirmed he has broken tradition by not yet picking a name for his car.

“No, we’ll wait for a bit more pace, and then think of a name,” Vettel said. “Maybe we’ll take a little bit more time than usual.”

Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Aston Martin has endured a difficult start to the season, failing to score any points in either of the first two races. It is one of only two teams yet to record a top-10 finish so far this year, the other being Williams.

Vettel’s first race weekend outing of the year was cut short by an engine issue that hit towards the end of FP1, forcing him to park up at the exit of Turn 10.

Following Vettel’s positive Covid-19 result in Bahrain, Aston Martin reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg deputised for the first two races, recording a best finish of 12th in Jeddah.

Vettel admitted that it felt “strange to watch” the race weekend from afar, but did his best to remain involved with the team’s operations through the weekend.

“I had races where I was feeling a bit ill and raced, but it was not possible,” Vettel said. “It was definitely the right decision, and strange to watch, but on the other hand, also interesting to see how it looks from the outside.

“Nico I think did really well, obviously with zero preparation to jump in and do that kind of job. And I was part of all the meetings and briefings, listening to the drivers all the time.

“I tried to make the most of it, but it was a bit strange.”