Vettel’s relapse into bad times
Stand: 2:53 p.m.
For Vettel, the race was a relapse into times that were believed to have been overcome
Quelle: Getty Images/Joe Portlock
Most recently he made it into the points three times – in Baku even on the podium. But the second place at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was probably just an exception. He has no chance in Spielberg.
NAfter a weekend to forget, Sebastian Vettel had little hope of a quick recovery. “In the few days until the next race, you can’t change much,” said the four-time Formula 1 world champion after his twelfth place in the Styrian Grand Prix. For the Aston Martin driver on Sunday in Austria it was a bitter relapse into times that were believed to have been overcome. The problem: On this Sunday at the same place on the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, championship points will be on the agenda again.
“We are fully focused on coming back stronger,” said Vettel. The poor 14th place on the grid made it impossible for him to break free from midfield. After three races in the top ten, crowned by second place in Baku, the 33-year-old Hesse went empty-handed for the first time. It seems as if he will have to be content with placings in this region in the coming weeks, because his car is not making any progress on the classic racetracks.
In his coup in Azerbaijan and fifth place in Monaco, the Heppenheimer also benefited from the narrow street circuits, where driving skills are more important than the car. “I hope that we can do better on Saturday, then Sunday could also look a little better,” said the World Cup tenth (30 points) and initially planned to do better in qualifying.
Sky expert Timo Glock also sees this as crucial. “His job has to be to place himself in the top ten in qualifying, and then he can achieve more,” said the former Formula 1 driver. The appearance in Spielberg was “a small step backwards,” said Glock about Vettel.
Headwind for Vettel after sustainability statements
The Aston Martin driver has been openly hostile to social networks in the past few days. The reason for this was his confession in a “Spiegel” interview that he would vote for the Greens in the federal election. Vettel was accused of hypocrisy because he has lived in Switzerland for years and as a Formula 1 driver is anything but environmentally friendly. The fact that Vettel justified his choice carefully and explained why he considers a speed limit on motorways to be sensible or a change in society to be necessary, was only of interest to very few.
“When I started paying attention to sustainability years ago, of course I had to ask myself whether I am a hypocrite,” Vettel told the “Spiegel”: “On the one hand, I pollute the environment through my work, on the other hand, I propagate things , to protect the environment. So first I changed my habits, such as frequent flying, and then I talked about it. “
Vettel has been driving for the British Aston Martin team since this season
What: REUTERS
In Spielberg he came to the track with a racing bike and not the car, did an internship on an organic farm during the Corona lockdown and relies on a photovoltaic system on his own farm. Meanwhile, Vettel is unlikely to have noticed anything from the wave of outrage on the Internet. As one of the very few sports stars, he has neither Twitter nor Instagram and doesn’t care about these media.
Vettel, however, received praise from Mercedes motorsport director Toto Wolff. “He is someone who looks at sustainability, who lives this way and – apart from the characteristics of his sporting life – has this attitude,” said the Austrian in a media panel. “Sebastian wears his heart on his tongue. He says what he thinks without paying much attention to the reactions. He just thinks it’s right. Basically, this individuality is important. “
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