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Aston Martin has removed power company UPS from their official list of suppliers for the 2022 F1 season. The news comes from @decalspotters on Twitter, a page dedicated to sponsor changes in F1. UPS Direct is a UK-based power company that specializes in battery backups, diesel generators, and more.
The team is going through a period of significant change, with team principal Otmar Szafnauer leaving the team at the end of the 2021 season. Szafnauer joined the team back in 2009 when it was still called Force India, and played an integral role in its development.
In a press release, the team wrote about the departure of their team principal:
“Otmar Szafnauer has left the Company and his role at Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team will be managed within the leadership team until a replacement is appointed.”
Furthermore, the team recently lost long-time sponsor BWT, an Austrian water company known for their association with Racing Point, the previous iteration of the British team.
It is still unclear who will be Aston Martin's next team principal, with fans speculating that the team is going through a period of significant turbulence.
Now-former Aston Martin boss praised Sebastian Vettel for his hard work
Otmar Szafnauer praised four-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel, citing the latter's brilliant work ethic in the Silverstone-based team. In an interview with Crash.net, Szafnauer said:
“He’s been brilliant. He’s such a man of integrity, he works hard, great work ethic leaves no stone unturned. The engineers like working with him, the mechanics love him as a person. He’s just a genuine guy. And that goes a long way in life.”
Vettel was unable to fight at the top of the field in 2021 despite having all the experience needed to do so. Although his car was riddled with a lack of pace, the German made the most of it, winning an award for the highest number of overtakes in a season — with 132 passes. The veteran driver also managed to score two podiums for the team. His podium at the Hungarian Grand Prix, however, was snatched by the FIA as his car failed to show the minimum amount of fuel required at the end of an event.
Speaking about the former world champion's battle with Esteban Ocon and subsequent disqualification, Szafnauer said:
“Although the result didn’t count, through no fault of his own, I thought he drove a brilliant race in Budapest, and tried and tried and tried to overtake Ocon. He wanted the win badly. It’s just so difficult to overtake in Budapest unless you have a massive, massive car pace advantage, which we didn’t have.”
Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll are set to return for Aston Martin in the 2022 season, with both drivers hoping for a more competent car.
