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Aston Martin is reported to be considering approaching Martin Whitmarsh for an F1 leadership role in the team.
Reports from Auto Motor und Sport have hinted that part-owner Lawrence Stroll has pegged Whitmarsh down as the top candidate to replace Otmar Szafnauer at the Silverstone-based team.
Szafnauer was with the team for 12 years, having been a part of their various iterations over the years. He was pivotal in saving the Force India team from bankruptcy with the help of current Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, by putting the company into administration.
Szafnauer's departure has left big shoes to fill for Aston Martin and in Whitmarsh, Stroll may have an able replacement.
Whitmarsh was Ron Dennis' successor at McLaren in 2008 and was with the team for six years, leaving in 2014. He returned to F1 in September 2021 as Group Chief Executive Officer of Aston Martin Performance Technologies.
At the time of his arrival at Silverstone, Whitmarsh had this to say about the team and Lawrence Stroll:
“Lawrence (Stroll) intends Aston Martin to win Formula 1 World Championships, plain and simple, and I would not have joined him in that endeavor unless I was utterly convinced that it was an entirely achievable aim.”
Whitmarsh will now have to back his words up by extracting performances for the team on the track when the 2022 season starts.
Sebastian Vettel considered retiring before joining Aston Martin
Sebastian Vettel has revealed he considered retiring from F1 before landing a seat with Aston Martin for the 2021 season.
The four-time drivers' world champion was acrimoniously let go by Ferrari during the tumultuous 2020 campaign. Speaking in an interview, this is what Vettel had to say about his mindset before joining his current team:
“Of course, sometimes you ask yourself the question of meaning. I’d be lying if I said the thought (of retiring) hadn’t crossed my mind yet.”
Vettel then went on to add:
“If I no longer feel the inner drive and ambition and only stick to it to convey messages or increase the bank balance, that would be a betrayal of the generation that is yet to come and live the dream.”
The German scored the team's first podium at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku and will hope to build on his 2021 performances going into the new season.
