The recent problems of Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin “hurts his soul,” according to Helmut Marko.
Helmut Marko believes Sebastian Vettel’s personality will not cause him to leave Aston Martin before the end of the season, but he has cautioned that the squad must strengthen to prevent this possibility.
Vettel used to have a tough comeback to F1 at the Australian Grand Prix after skipping the first two races of 2022 owing to a COVID-19 testing positive. During free practise, his AMR22 suffered technical troubles, and he fell out of the race on Sunday.
This has sparked conjecture over the four-time World Champion’s future, and Marko, who worked with Vettel at Red Bull, has now added his two cents to the conversation.
Is it possible that Sebastian Vettel will leave Aston Martin at the end of the season?
Marko is sceptical of Vettel’s decision to leave Aston Martin midway through the 2022 season owing to the driver’s personality.
He does agree, though, that if the British team does not make progress, the possibilities of this happening will grow.
“Basically, quitting in the middle of the season doesn’t suit the strong character that Sebastian is,” Marko told German publication F1-Insider.
“But there would have to be an improvement from the team soon, otherwise it will become increasingly difficult to stay motivated.”
Whatever happens, Marko is upset by Vettel’s current professional situation.
“In any case, it hurts my soul to see a four-time World Champion in such a situation,” the Red Bull advisor added.
Vettel’s current position compared to Lauda’s in 1979
Vettel’s situation has been compared to that of Niki Lauda in 1979, when the Austrian announced his retirement from Formula One with two races left in the season.
However, Marko believes there are some important differences in this circumstance.
“It was different with Niki: unlike Sebastian, he had a more or less competitive car back then,” Marko explained.
“But he realised for himself that it just didn’t fit anymore. With Vettel it’s different: he has a two-year contract and sits in a bad car. He is fighting and struggling to do better.
“An alternative would be to tick off the season now and move on to next year. But in that case, I think Vettel doesn’t want to struggle any more to help the team.”
Marko clarifies what might be wrong with Aston Martin
Aston Martin is ranked last in the Constructors’ Championship, and is the only team that has yet to score any points in 2022.
This is regardless of the fact that the British business has employed many new employees, including Red Bull’s new Technical Director Dan Fallows.
Marko has wondered whether Aston Martin is operating together successfully from the outside.
“My remote diagnosis: it’s still a team sport,” Marko commented.
“You need team spirit and cohesion. That’s why we were able to keep our important people on board for a very long time, despite many attempts to poach them.
“Even though some attempts by Aston Martin to poach us were successful. But it’s no use just poaching individual people and then thinking you’ve succeeded.”
Marko grinned when asked if Aston Martin had hired the wrong people, saying, “I’d prefer not comment on that.”
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Aston Martin, F1, F1 2022, Formula 1, Grand Prix, Lance Stroll, Sebastian Vettel
