Vettel was told ahead of the late start of the 2020 season that his expiring Ferrari contract would not be extended as Scuderia secured the services of McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr. for 2021.
In one disappointing year, Vettel often struggled with a car that didn’t suit his driving style and was eventually beaten by teammate Charles Leclerc.
Vettel was surpassed by Leclerc 13-4 and was only able to score 33 points, compared to 98 points for the Monegasque driver who included a single podium at the Turkish Grand Prix.
PLUS: How Vettel’s Ferrari mission ended sour
When presenting his new 2021 car, the Aston Martin AMR21, Vettel thought openly about how unhappy he was with his own performance, but stressed that he was at peace with himself about how his last season with Ferrari had turned out .
“To be honest, the whole year was a challenge,” admitted Vettel. “I thought about it a lot back then last year.
“I’m obviously not happy with how the last year has gone in terms of performance, entirely my performance, but I think I accepted [it] and I have no regrets.
“I know I didn’t stick to my standards [to]. I never really cared about what people think or say or, sorry, write. So I think it’s important that I agree to this myself.
“I’m really looking forward to this year and have very, very high expectations myself.”
For 2021, Vettel found a new home at Aston Martin after being renamed by his Racing Point team.
Although the Silverstone outfit is much smaller and does not carry the weight of the Ferrari emblem, Vettel does not believe that the pressure in his new team will be less than in Maranello or the pressure of the four-time world champion will be under.
“I don’t think there’s always a connection between pressure and joy,” he argued. “In fact, I put a lot of pressure and expectation on myself.
“Nothing changes in that regard. The satisfaction you get when you cross the line and do a good job is your first and best judge. I don’t expect this to change.”
“And if you talk about pressure, I would be very happy to have a lot of pressure and to be able to fight for the championship. In the end I would like to do that.
“Of course it’s a different situation for us this year and I think it’s a big challenge. And we accept that. And we want to master the challenge and hopefully come out better than we thought.
“The best way to usually do this is to take it one step at a time and focus on the things that are right in front of you without being disturbed by the bigger picture.”
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