How Sebastian Vettel played a key role in 32 GP winner Fernando Alonso signing with Aston Martin
Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement from the sport at the end of the 2022 season following which Fernando Alonso signed with the team.
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack said that Sebastian Vettel played a huge role in Fernando Alonso’s signing for Aston Martin.
Vettel helped the team through the timing of his decision to retire and his contribution to the team. The 4-time world champion announced his retirement before the August break and Alonso’s signing was announced on the first day of the silly season.
Krack said that Vettel deserves huge credit for how he conducted himself for the benefit of the team and aided in Alonso’s contract with the British team.
The timing of Vettel’s retirement announcement played well for the team otherwise the team would have faced the risk of being left with very few appealing options in the driver market.
🗣️ “Other teams think differently.”
Fernando Alonso says he wasn’t as supported by Alpine due to his age and is very happy to join the Aston Martin project. pic.twitter.com/J9vVQw1tAP
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 25, 2022
Krack revealed, “He was aware of this situation and we spoke about that before with him. It shows how open and transparent we were with him, and he was with us.
“So from that point of view, he was a great help. He wanted us to go out of the situation in a good way and he did not want to leave us with problems.”
Retaining Sebastian Vettel was the first choice for Aston Martin
The team principal confirmed that Aston Martin had conversations with several drivers but Alonso was the obvious choice to succeed Vettel. However, their first preference was to retain the 4-time world champion.
The Silverstone-based team was aware of the Spaniard’s potential long before the German driver had decided to retire.
Vettel has been repeatedly praised for his overall contribution to the team as it went through a period of rapid expansion, recruitment and investment. The German driver impressed his crew at Aston Martin with his mindset.
The Luxembourgish boss revealed that Vettel has for sure raised the level of the team.
Also Read: 41-year old Fernando Alonso may stay in F1 until he adds another Championship under his belt
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