Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team took to their official social media handles on Thursday and provided a key update regarding German driver and four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vattel’s availability for the forthcoming Australian Grand Prix. The 34-year-old missed out on the opening two rounds of the season at Bahrain and Jeddah after contracting COVID-19 ahead of the first race weekend. However, the outfit confirmed in their latest announcement that Vettel will be back on the grid to kickstart his season with the Australian GP, scheduled to take place from April 7 to April 10 at the Melbourne GP circuit.
Announcing the exciting development, the Aston Martin F1 took to Twitter and wrote, “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”. The development comes as exciting news for motorsports fans as Vettel will commence his second year with Aston Martin this year, having joined the team in 2021 following a dramatic exit from Ferrari. In the absence of Vettel, Aston Martin’s reserve and test driver Nico Hulkenberg partnered with Canadian driver Lance Stroll for the opening two rounds.
How did Aston Marin perform in the absence of Sebastian Vettel?
While the team struggled to find pace in the season opener at Bahrain, the team bounced back during the Saudi Arabia GP at Jeddah, finishing just outside the points. Entering in his first race since 2020, Hulkenberg finished 17th in Bahrain, as Stroll finished at P12. Whereas Hulkenberg finished P12 at Jeddah, followed by Strolled P13, while a total of six drivers suffered DNFs.
A look at the Formula One 2022 Constructors and Drivers championship standings so far
The main race of Australian GP 2022 is scheduled to be held on April 10 and Aston Martin will be hoping to get their first points of the season, now that Vettel will be back in his car. The team currently sits ninth in the 2022 Constructors championship standing, ahead of last-placed Williams and eighth-placed McLaren. It is pertinent to mention that Aston Martin and Williams are the only teams who are yet to score points in the season so far and Ferrari are currently the leaders. On the other hand, the 2022 drivers championship is led by Charles Leclerc with 45 points, with Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen placed second and third with 33 and 25 points respectively.
