Fernando Alonso (left) succeeded Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin. Bild: imago images / Eibner
Formula 1
After four world titles with Red Bull and just missing out on world titles at Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel’s last two years in Formula 1 at Aston Martin were not very successful.
In the two years, the 35-year-old was only able to land on the podium once. In the drivers’ standings, he only finished 12th.
After the disappointing seasons, things are currently going well for the British racing team. Vettel’s successor Fernando Alonso has finished third four times in the previous five races, in the constructors’ championship, Aston Martin is even second behind the dominant Red Bull team.
And according to team boss Mike Krack, this success is largely due to Sebastian Vettel, as he explains in an interview with “Sport Bild”.
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Formula 1: Vettel’s influence, Alonso’s “great” feeling
Despite all the praise for the current development, the four-time world champion shouldn’t be forgotten, said the 51-year-old, adding: “He’s part of the success. Without him we wouldn’t be where we are now.”
According to Krack, the fact that development had stalled, especially in the last Vettel year, was due to the chassis: “There wasn’t much room for new impulses. Now we have a chassis where we are flexible.”
Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack Image: imago images / jakub Porzycki
However, that is only one part, because on the other hand, the driver must also feel comfortable in the car. Fernando Alonso is currently an absolute veteran in the Formula 1 business.
The 41-year-old was in the car for Renault for a long time, then for Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and again for the Renault successor team Alpine in the past two years.
“He gave us input from November. The car also bears his signature. He has a great feeling for the car,” Krack explains Alonso’s influence on the current car.
Formula 1: Aston Martin boss compares Vettel and Alonso
And the Luxembourger gave a concrete insight into how working with the two-time world champion works. “He doesn’t tell us that we have to raise the front axle because it has this and that consequence. He only says whether he has oversteer or understeer. But that’s all it takes, we’re the engineers.”
However, that was already the case under Vettel, so the team didn’t have to change much at all.
“The two are very similar. Both in driving and in dealing with the team. Seb and Fernando are great leaders with a – how do I put that in a positive way? – strong opinion.”
