Aston Martin F1 does not yet know which driver will defend his colors alongside Lance Stroll this weekend in Jeddah. Nico Hülkenberg, who replaced Sebastian Vettel at short notice in Bahrain because of the Covid-19.
“I won’t know until Thursday or Friday if Seb is driving or if it’s me” Hulkenberg said.
For his part, Aston Martin F1 team principal Mike Krack confirmed that Vettel had some mild symptoms. On the other hand, he does not know if his driver will be there in time, as he confided yesterday: “Honestly, I’m not 100% sure about the rules in Saudi Arabia, but we hope so.”
Aston Martin F1 did not have an encouraging first weekend in Bahrain, with two Q1 eliminations and a distant finish for Stroll and Hulkenberg. Ralf Schumacher is worried about the continuation of Lawrence Stroll’s project and even wonders if Vettel will want to return under such conditions.
“The team has lost track” said the German, calling the AMR22 a “disaster. In F1 you can’t take a lot of people and a lot of money, put them in a pot, stir them briefly and expect something good to come out.”
Schumacher experienced a project with a similar approach with Toyota, between 2005 and 2007, and recalls that investments are not enough: “The team wanted to use the bulldozer method and that didn’t work at Toyota either.”
Does Lawrence Stroll take up too much space?
Ralf Schumacher confirms having heard Aston Martin engineers and employees complain about the omnipresence of Lawrence Stroll. The paddock rumors of the owner’s interference in the work of the leaders.
“I hear the owner sits at the table for all the meetings saying how things should go. If that’s really the case, it’s going to be very, very difficult.”
And Schumacher not to spare Lance Stroll either, beaten in qualifying by the ghost Hülkenberg: “He must be wondering if he should find a new hobby. It was very embarrassing.”
Villeneuve charges McLaren: “Incredible that they messed up”
The other team in big trouble in Bahrain was McLaren, with an absolutely abysmal run for Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo. Jacques Villeneuve, commentator for Canal+, does not understand what is happening near Woking.
“All that car design experience, knowledge and skill…it’s unbelievable that they messed up so badly” declared the 1997 world champion.
“I had lower expectations of Aston Martin, who have copied Mercedes for so many years that they may have forgotten how to design their own car. Racing to the top takes more than ambition and drive. money. F1 is a special sport, it’s not just about marketing and brands.”