Vettel’s “remarkable” feedback behind long Aston Martin F1 debriefings

Vettel joined the Silverstone-based team after several years at Ferrari, but initially had difficulties adapting to the team’s high-rake car concept.

However, the four-time world champion has made good progress in the last few races and took a podium finish with his second place at the most recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Team boss Otmar Szafnauer says one of the changes he has noticed since Vettel’s arrival is how much more extensive the team is with their car analysis – and that was triggered by more input from his new addition.

PLUS: The changes behind a “feel good” F1 result in Baku

When asked about the change in the debriefing, Szafnauer said: “They are more detailed than before and definitely longer. But we have to make sure that while we can go on forever, we focus on first order things and make second order things.

“Sebastian’s memory of one lap is quite remarkable. He remembers every little detail on every little corner, probably the detail I heard from a driver.

“So in that respect we get a little more detail from Seb than in the past from the [other] Driver. Every little aspect of the car, the drivetrain, the ergonomics, everything that it brings, and we are working on the repair. “

Szafnauer said Vettel’s strong result in Baku is not the result of a single factor, but rather a combination of many things that come together.

“It’s never a thing,” he said. “He’s getting used to the car more, he’s getting used to the team more. It was probably a track that favored us a little that the circumstances of the race helped.

Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin AMR21, Esteban Ocon, Alpine A521

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

“But the pace was definitely there. We overtook the pole sitter on the track. We got a bit of speed out of the car on tracks that are a bit like Baku, especially with these characteristics. “

Aston Martin had a difficult Friday at the French Grand Prix. Vettel and his teammate Lance Stroll finished the afternoon session in 15th and 16th place on the timesheets.

Szafnauer expected, however, that a change in the vehicle balance would be enough to trigger a decent stride shape in the lap time.

“We didn’t start as well here as we could have and we haven’t found the right balance yet,” he said. “None of the drivers did and their laps were messy.

“If the balance isn’t quite right, you also expect messy laps. So it’s a bit of a catch-22. Then it is something that feeds itself, because if the balance is right, the driver feels safer, drives better and drives a good lap. “