With Sebastian Vettel retiring from Formula One at the end of the year, Aston Martin will be left without a driver next year. With the team being far from contention this year, there are many questions to be asked about the future of this team.
Aston Martin had much higher hopes for this season after pumping the team full of money in the offseason. Despite high hopes entering the year, Aston Martin has been highly disappointing. Despite everything they have tried to put into the team, they are one of the slowest teams on the grid. With the cost cap this year Aston Martin can’t simply spend their way out of this either.
Why is Vettel Out?
With their poor performance and lack of competitiveness, Sebastian Vettel has decided to retire from the sport. His main reason for leaving is to spend time with his family. He also claimed that joining Aston Martin was to get one more chance to get in contention for a world title. The project ultimately failed which left Vettel to leave F1 without that satisfying high note that many F1 fans craved.
Despite all of that, Vettel still is one of the greatest racers to ever do it. His accomplishments put him in an extremely rare company in the sport. He is the youngest World Champion in Formula One, has the third-most race victories at 53, third-most podium finishes at 122, and fourth-most pole positions at 57.
Aston Martin’s Future
Without their best driver, Aston Martin will be looking for a replacement for Vettel. While they want to win, it should still be a few years before they are able to compete with the other contenders. They have the right direction and are heading in the right way in terms of the team’s intentions, they just are a long-term project. There is no doubt they will be one of the better teams in the future if they continue the path they are on.
Mick Schumacher
There are plenty of options for driver replacements for Aston martin but it is very doubtful that they will be able to steal a driver from any of the top teams. There are no clear choices on where they will head, but I think two drivers stand out the most. Mick Schumacher’s name has been brought up quite a lot due to Vettel indicating that Mick is his preferred choice. The move would be quite interesting although I am not sure if that move is really taking a step forward for Schumacher.
Mick and Hass have been more competitive recently despite having a poor result in the French Grand Prix. Although I do believe that Aston Martin’s future looks a lot brighter than Haas’s. I do believe this is the most likely scenario for Aston Martin going forward. Schumacher has shown his potential in the two races in which he got in the points. With Aston Martin going to have to be patient before they can truly compete signing a young driver makes the most sense. Although I think most of the F1 community does believe Lawerence Stroll wants a more experienced driver due to his other driver being young.
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso has been another favorite to replace Vettel as he would bring a similar role to the table. Similarly, we have to question whether Alonso is going to be a long-term answer with Alonso coming to the last few years of his career. He also would be able to mentor Stroll which has to attract Lawerence Stroll. This would likely set up another driver in the Aston Martin seat in the next few years although it seems like this would preserve what Aston Martin has been doing this year.
Bottom Line
Whatever Aston Martin does, the F1 world will remember the person and driver that Sebastian Vettel was every day in the paddock. Not only was he one of the most skilled drivers to ever touch a race car, but he also had the humanity and desire to stand up for some of the most divisive issues in the world. As Fernando Alonso said best, ” He is a legend in our sport not only on the track, but he also had great values outside the car.”
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