Sebastian Vettel Could Have Stayed In F1 Only if Aston Martin Improved Two Months Before; Reveals Prominent Team Member

Formula 1 bid farewell to one of the greatest drivers to have adorned the sport when Sebastian Vettel retired at the end of the 2022 season. It was right after Vettel’s departure that Aston Martin started extracting maximum performance from their car. This has led to Team Principal Mike Krack wondering if they could have clung to Vettel if the advancements to the car were made a bit earlier.

Vettel announced his retirement from F1 in the month of July last year. During that time, Aston Martin was struggling big time, with only 20 points from 13 races. It was not until the very end of the 2022 season, that Aston Martin found the true pace that they had been searching for.

The Silverstone outfit recruited new personnel mid-season, the most prominent names being Dan Fallows and Eric Blandin. This helped them improve their car manifolds, and the results were on display when they put on 24 points in just three races towards the end of the season, in Japan, Singapore, and Austin. But by then, Vettel had already made his decision.

Sebastian Vettel could have been convinced not to retire from F1

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack believes that if the team could only upgrade the car before Vettel made his decision to leave, then they could have maybe convinced the German driver to stay on for another season or two.

Krack recalled that by the end of the season, Vettel was back in form with Aston Martin, especially in Suzuka, and Austin. “But by then, his decision was already made. If he had had the car this year, he could have postponed his retirement,” explained Krack.

However, Krack also thinks that Vettel might have lost all his motivation at the start of the 2022 season itself. In that case, nothing could have stopped him from making his decision to retire from F1.

Sebastian Vettel’s worthy replacement

Aston Martin brought in the 41-year-old Fernando Alonso as a replacement for Vettel. Even though most people in the paddock were widely skeptical of the move at the time, recruiting Alonso has turned out to be the best decision Aston Martin has made in recent years.

The Spaniard has performed at the highest level and has led Aston Martin on their charge toward the top of the grid. Alonso already has six podiums from the first eight races of the season.

Aston Martin has definitely turned the tide and is now considered to being competition by top teams like Mercedes and Ferrari. If they can continue improving in this direction, they might as well end up as title contenders in a few seasons.