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Sebastian Vettel revealed that the problem that caused his stoppage in the second Free Practice ahead of the 2022 Australian GP will not have a long-term impact. The German believes the issue that caused his car to exude smoke could be repaired by Saturday.
Speaking after the free practice session, the Aston Martin driver said:
“We had a problem, there was a bit of smoke and I lost power and we had to stop the car on the track and I did the best I could to limit the damage and get it off the track as soon as possible."
"It stopped our running, which was painful and unfortunately cost us the whole session in the afternoon, which is not ideal. I haven’t been in the car for a while, plus the track is different. It will be fine tomorrow but it would have been nice to get more laps.”
Driving on his maiden race weekend of the 2022 season, Sebastian Vettel feels the stoppage has hampered him from racking up more mileage. With changes made to the Albert Park circuit, the stoppage created an unwanted scenario.
On being asked if it is a problem that will continue throughout the season, the German said:
“At this stage, we are very early, and the way it works, even if something brakes and you have a spare engine or spare parts, it has no impact. That’s the way the rules are.”
The stoppage was caused due to a power unit problem, therefore the German will have a new power unit fitted in his car ahead of the race in Melbourne. Despite the problem, the four-time world champion believes there will be no significant impact on the season as a whole.
The German was spotted taking a moped ride around the circuit, after his stoppage. However, the excursion earned him a fine of 5000 Euros from the FIA.
Sebastian Vettel is satisfied that he could adjust quickly to his car after month long break
The German champion was satisfied that he could adapt quickly to Aston Martin AMR22, after being outside an F1 car for a month. Having tested positive for the corona virus after the preseason tests in Bahrain, Sebastian Vettel’s car has evolved since. However, the German believes that despite some changes to the car, he was able to adapt easily.
Reflecting on his first outing since the preseason tests, Sebastian Vettel said:
“It [the car] felt more or less where we left it in Bahrain. Obviously, some bits changed and a lot of work since then, but [also] a different track so it was a bit of both, getting myself back in the rhythm, getting used to the new layout here, the new tarmac. I don’t think it was a big problem to get back in the rhythm, I felt quite comfortable quite quickly.”
Aston Martin reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg suggested that the 34 year old champion would have his work cutout in terms of adapting to the car. However, after limited runs in the practice sessions, Sebastian Vettel seems to have proved his fellow German wrong.
