Sebastian Vettel spent the best part of his F1 career with Red Bull, with whom he won four world championships. He moved to Ferrari after that but failed to replicate his Red Bull success, so Vettel moved to Aston Martin, where he spent the last two seasons of his career.
At the end of the 2022 season, Vettel, who had just one podium finish with the Silverstone-based outfit, decided to retire from the sport. At that moment, Aston Martin was struggling at the wrong end of the grid, and not many expected them to do anything big over the winter break. One person, however, who trusted Lawrence Stroll and his team was Fernando Alonso.
BREAKING: Sebastian Vettel has announced he will retire from F1 at the end of the 2022 season
4 world titles
53 race wins
122 podiums
1 phenomenal career#ThankYouSeb pic.twitter.com/K8BVXI6IAx— Formula 1 (@F1) July 28, 2022
The two-time world champion has had a stellar start to life at Aston Martin, getting a P3 finish on his debut in Bahrain. Alonso is optimistic about the British outfit’s chances in 2023, as he aims to fight at the front of the grid for the rest of the year. The hunger shown by Alonso at the age of 41 has earned him plenty of plaudits, but a decorated former world champion has slammed his predecessor Vettel.
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Former world champion questions commitment of Sebastian Vettel
Jacques Villeneuve, who won the 1997 world championship, lauded Fernando Alonso for how good he has been lately. When the Spaniard returned to F1 in 2021, he made it clear that his aim was to win races and fight for the title, and not just stick around for the sake of it.
Many people have questioned Alonso’s old age, but he has proved his doubters wrong and is showing no signs of slowing down. Vettel, meanwhile, retired from F1 when he was 36 years old. The four-time world champion insisted that he wanted to spend time with his family more than being an F1 driver.
The smile on Fernando Alonso’s face says it all! A debut podium with Aston Martin 🟢 pic.twitter.com/TkB7MV8ECz
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 5, 2023
Villeneuve, however, took a brutal dig at Vettel, and questioned his hunger. The former Williams driver suggested that Vettel quit only because he wasn’t winning races anymore, and did not show any willingness to move elsewhere and compete.
Alonso, on the other hand, decided to leave Alpine because he didn’t have a race winning car at his disposal in Enstone, and instead moved to a team where he thought he would succeed.
Also read: Charles Leclerc Addresses Rumors of Negativity Within Ferrari Team After Dismal Start to 2023
Fernando Alonso looking to build up on positive start to 2023
Alonso’s P3 finish in Bahrain was his 99th career podium and his first since the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix. The AMR-23 looked like it had strong race-pace, and Alonso will be hoping that it’s only upward from here.
Heading into the Saudi Arabian GP, Alonso will be looking to build on the positive start shown by him and the team, as he aims to get into the title mix.
