How revived Vettel recovered in Monaco

After qualifying in eighth, Vettel crossed the finish line in fifth. Both numbers marked his best performance of the season so far.

In the race, the non-start of Charles Leclerc and the retirement of Valtteri Bottas put him in two places, but even seventh place would have been a good reward.

Perhaps more important than the stats was the way he turned on speed when he needed a few quick laps before his stop, and his bold approach to a chicken game as he sped Pierre Gasly up the hill after exiting the pits.

It was a charging performance that reminded people that Vettel hasn’t forgotten how to drive after apparently getting lost at Ferrari over the past few days, and it was all about addressing the skeptics after being in the top four Race 13th place hadn’t made it better this year.

Vettel, who won in Monaco in 2011 and 2017, felt comfortable from the start of training on Thursday and finished eighth and tenth in both sessions. Significantly, he was ahead of teammate Lance Stroll, who usually had the upper hand this year.

He was helped by the latest package of ground updates for the AMR1, which has been accelerated for Monaco as the Silverstone team continues to find the downforce lost by the changes in winter rules.

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In qualifying, he just made it from the first quarter to 15th place after playing with just one set of tires. He finished ninth in the second quarter before taking a better spot in the third quarter to finish eighth on the grid – and take right behind troubled Lewis Hamilton.

Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin, with Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal and CEO, Aston Martin F1

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

It was only the second time this year that Vettel has made the third quarter after finishing tenth in Portugal earlier this month.

“It was tight in the first quarter, we only used one sentence, that was a bit risky,” he said after the meeting.

“But we ended up with two sets of tires, which didn’t help us because there was a red flag. Overall, I think it was a good day for us. We now had five qualifications and it was always right on the track.” Humps, so it’s tight.

“Here we were a little clearer in the second quarter than in other places, but overall it is always fighting for 10th place, up and down.

“I already had a good feeling here in practice. In the end, eighth place isn’t pole position, but it’s much better than the last few races. We have to take it and aim for a few points tomorrow. We’ll see what the race is.” ” brings. “

Leclerc’s absence from the grid meant Vettel was promoted to seventh place at the start. In the opening stint he ran behind Gasly and Hamilton and in front of Sergio Perez. The Mercedes driver was the first to stop on lap 29, followed by the AlphaTauri man one lap later.

With a clear track ahead of him and some life in his soft tires, Vettel drove a few fast laps as his two rivals put themselves to the test.

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“I enjoyed it because that’s when it matters,” he said. “The first 10 laps were pretty boring, only Sergio pushed at the beginning, but no real threat. And then he pulled back to save his tires and I knew these laps in front of the pits would be the decisive ones, and she turned out.

“So I just enjoyed being on top of the car and pushing when I had to and knowing how the car was going to react.”

Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin AMR21

Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images

When he got there on lap 31, it was a race out of the pit lane. He had done enough to make Hamilton jump safely, but when he went down to Ste Devote he could see Gasly.

They turned into the pit lane and walked up the hill they almost touched. In the end, it was the AlphaTauri driver who had to give his best and step back so that Vettel could ride up front.

“I knew it was going to be tight,” said Vettel. “But so close, it’s always hard to predict. I always had a bit of a nose in front of me and I could see him. But not enough to really tell how far ahead I was because he was almost side by side was just one Quarter of a car to half of the car, and then it starts to turn left / right.

“I think he didn’t know if I saw him, so he withdrew at some point. I gave him space, but I had fresh tires. I also went through the pickup, so not the most convenient route to the casino!”

A completely different strategy, which included a long opening stint on the hard tires, promoted Stroll from 13th on the grid to eighth place. Aston took 14 points and jumped from seventh to fifth place in the championship table.

“Well, obviously it was good, I think for all of us,” said Vettel. “We had the right calls from the pits today and the pace too, which helps if you stay outside and can only have that extra pace for two more laps, three more laps.”

“I felt really good on the soft, I was just out and about at the beginning and let the cars go in front and then slowly closed the gap. I thought we might also have a chance to hold Sergio back at this pace.” we had, but he had another second from there and then it wasn’t possible.

“But apart from that, of course, we have Lewis and Pierre, that was great for us today.”

Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin AMR21

Photo by: Erik Junius

It wasn’t an easy transition to Aston Martin for Vettel, and he took a lot of stick after a disappointing last season at Ferrari.

However, he was more concerned about giving a boost to a team that had a difficult start to the year under his new name than about his own reputation.

“After such a strong season last year and a disappointing start to this year in many ways, I think that’s what we needed and the guys deserved it,” he said. “It’s also a good signal to the entire factory at home. A lot is happening.

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“But hopefully this result will help us keep the spirit that it is and maybe gain some momentum to have stronger races.”

Vettel is of course very keen that his team can continue to get more performance out of the car and give him more fighting chances, as he did on Sunday.

“Obviously it’s very close in midfield and if we can find a tenth or the other, no matter where, it can make a huge difference,” he said. “It might be enough to get you into the third quarter, it might be enough in the race to stay out that one lap, or try the undercut and get it going, and so on.

“So if you look at the weekend, it’s probably only five minutes that are really important. It’s the qualifying laps and then the crucial laps in the race. But you have to have everything in as close a field as possible.” is. “

Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images