Skip to main content

The Resurgence of a Dying Star

Whenever the F1 circus returns to the streets of Baku, three things are always certain: flat out straights, multiple red flags, and a spectacular drive from Sebastian Vettel. The four time world champion took a trip down memory lane this past weekend, with a drive that earned him a foot on the podium for the first time since Istanbul in 2020. Qualifying 11th on the grid, narrowly missing out to old rival Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas, he climbed nine places and secured Aston Martin’s first points since their Formula One return. However, this isn’t just a flash of brilliance before returning to regularly scheduled mediocrity, but instead is a glimpse of what’s to come. 

With the seemingly limitless resources of Lawrence Stroll behind them, Aston Martin Racing have had some mixed results during their maiden voyage of the 2021 season. Having collected a grand total of 5 points from the first four races, they have managed to bounce back and announce themselves as mid table contenders, collecting a total of 32 points from races in Monaco and Azerbaijan. Between the drivers themselves, young Lance Stroll seemed the more comfortable of the two before heading into Monaco with Seb continuing to struggle. However, a 5th place finish in Monaco and a 2nd in Baku certifies himself as the premier driver in the Aston Martin lineup taking a commanding 38-9 lead in the points battle. Nevertheless, this isn’t the battle Vettel will be concerning himself with. 

After a frustrating six seasons with Ferrari in which he saw the back of Hamilton’s Mercedes more than the chequered flag, a change was necessary just in order to remind people of how great Vettel truly is. In his hay day at Red Bull, he became the youngest F1 World Champion at age 23, won an astonishing 33% of all the races he entered and captured 44 pole positions. In short, it was one of the most dominating periods of racing that F1 had ever seen and he has remained dormant every since. 

Now, I’m not saying that another world championship is on the cards at Aston Martin, but a few race wins certainly might be if Seb can continue the form he has found in the past few races. Let’s face it, if anyone can take the famous racing green back to the top of motorsport, it’s Baby Schumi. 

Sebastian Vettel - grandprix247.com


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Greatest Rivals - John Stockton vs Magic Johnson

Welcome to Greatest Rivals! Each Wednesday, this page will pitch two great rivals against each other to finally find out who the real winner is! Over the coming weeks, this page will cover many great rivalries, from the glory of el Clasico to the back and forth action of some of Wimbledon's finest performers.  Wednesday 10th March - John Stockton vs Magic Johnson  As point guards go, John Stockton and Magic Johnson are poles apart. Stockton is the epitome of what a point guard should be; the ever-running engine that is an extension of a coaches vision. On the other hand, Magic is ultimately the most diverged the point guard position has ever become. At 6'9", he produced entire highlight reels that other point guards couldn't even replicate on the latest 2K. Despite their differences, each player produced a career worthy of the Hall of Fame, but when put head to head, who comes out on top?  John Stockton is at the very top of a long list of Hall of Famers that didn'...
1 comment
Read more

Hot Take: Haas Are The Ones To Watch in 2022

Haas has become a diminishing entity in the world of Formula One for several seasons now. Debuting in 2018, the US-owned Haas has gone from top 4 contenders, to back of the pack scrappers, all in the space of 3 seasons. However, heading in 2021, Haas team principal Guenther Steiner decided to make no significant car developments and instead pool all available resources into 2022. Is it a touch of genius or does it mark the final nail in the coffin?  2022 signals a breath of fresh air for Haas and Guenther Steiner. Not only do the upcoming regulation changes promise to bring more dramatic racing back to Formula One, but could also significantly reshuffle the F1 food chain. So, whilst teams such as Mercedes and Red Bull continue to develop this year's car in their hopes to make their drivers world champions, Haas could have the capability to make a shock return to the top in 2022.  Romain Grosjean driving the VF-20 during the pre-season tests in Barcelona - Wikimedia Commons As ...
Post a Comment
Read more

F1’s “Silly Season” - The World’s Most Expensive Game of Musical Chairs

With 4 races down and 18 to go, the 2021 Formula One season looks as it’s going deliver on it’s promise to bring back exciting motorsport. From front to back, the F1 back is filled with interesting driver matchups that aim to entertain right up to the chequered flag - a blessing compared to the 1 lap exhilaration that F1 fans have grown accustomed to over the last few years. However, whilst the racing certainly is fast, team principles patience isn’t and therefore some interesting driver changes are already appearing on the horizon - F1’s “Silly Season” has officially begun.  Over the winter break, the main story in F1 was Lewis Hamiltons contract, which remained unsigned until only a month before 2021’s inaugural race in Bahrain. Unfortunately for most, it seems Lewis is here to stay, winning 3 out of the 4 opening races and opening the door to Toto Wolf for a 2-year contract extension which would keep him in the lead Mercedes until 2023. Whilst this does all kinds of good for Ham...
Post a Comment
Read more