Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko suggests that Aston Martin need to make a better car to keep their Sebastian Vettel motivated.
Vettel missed the first two races of the 2022 season due to a positive Covid result, but is due to return behind the wheel of his AMR-22 at the Australian GP next weekend.
His return won’t be smooth, as his team Aston Martin are struggling at the wrong end of the field. Nico Hulkenberg, who filled in for Vettel in the opening two rounds, feels that the German will struggle upon his return to F1.
The AMR-22 is shockingly slow, and both Hulkenberg and Lance Stroll found it incredibly difficult to keep their car close to the points. As a result, Vettel’s start to the season won’t be easy.
TEAM UPDATE: We are pleased to confirm that Sebastian Vettel is now fit to race and will therefore line up alongside @lance_stroll in Melbourne to kick off his 2022 @F1 season at the @ausgrandprix. 💚#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/LrFqaHyQ8W
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) March 31, 2022
The 34-year old won four World Championships with Red Bull before moving to Ferrari in 2015. In Italy too, he won fourteen races and was in regular contention for wins and podiums for the majority of his time. Now that he’s in Aston Martin, a team that’s struggling to get into the points, Marko feels that Vettel will struggle for motivation.
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Aston Martin have to build a more competitive car for Sebastian Vettel
Vettel has repeatedly stated that he won’t overstay his welcome in F1. The former Red Bull driver won’t remain in the sport, just to scramble towards the back of the grid.
As a result, Marko feels that Vettel won’t feel like driving for Aston Martin. The Silverstone outfit have a lot of problems with their car, in addition to using a Mercedes engine that isn’t as good as it once was.
“Where Aston Martin are at the moment, I don’t think the motivation will be too great,” Marko said. “Aston Martin have to build a more competitive car. If you drive outside the points, the motivation is not the greatest.”
Aston Martin have had a very tough start to the 2022 season. Regulation changes were not tackled very well by the team, and they’re currently ninth in the standings, ahead of Williams. Neither team have scored a single point so far.
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