F1 | US GP | Vettel Describes "We Had To Fight Hard" After Team Manages To Only Score One Point
Sebastian Vettel of Aston Martin discusses what transpired at this weekend's US Grand Prix and critical takeaways to improve performance ahead of the Mexican GP in two weeks.
The chequered flag falls here in Austin! 🏁
— Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) October 24, 2021
What a drive from both Sebastian and Lance, we can be proud of that one. It wasn't easy, they gave it their all.#USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/Hesnvw5d0W
Sebastian Vettel recovered from the back of the grid after an engine penalty to finish 10th and earn a point for Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team in the 2021 United States Grand Prix.
A comeback masterclass. 💚
— Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) October 24, 2021
After starting in P18, Seb crossed the line in P10 and delivered some epic battles along the way.#USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/S9nmT64nbz
Vettel started off fast and was racing 12th, slightly ahead of his teammate Lance Stroll, for majority of what was the last 1/3 of the race. Late in lap 52, Vettel passed Alfa Romeo's Antonio Giovinazzi from P11 that earned him the advance to P10 after Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen spun in front of him.
One point was a meagre reward for a superb drive, but the strategists made the correct decision to go for the relatively late initial pitstops which took use of every opportunity that came their way.
Post-race, Vettel comments, "We only scored one point today and we had to fight hard. It was a good recovery after the grid penalty yesterday and when we were in clean air the pace was good."
He continues, "As we expected, it was a difficult race for everybody trying to manage the tyres with the hot track temperatures."
He adds, "I was happy when everybody pitted quite early because we knew we would have a chance by running longer. It gave us fresher tyres at the end, when it mattered, so we could move up into the top 10."
He concludes, "It was a good strategy by the team. With a couple more laps, we would have caught [Yuki] Tsunoda, but, from where we started, I think scoring a point is a good result."
A tough race but there are positives to take away. 💚
— Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) October 24, 2021
Join #SV5 as he debriefs his Sunday in Austin.#USGP #F1
