The Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team earned their first points of the season at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with a double-points finish. Sebastian Vettel took eighth, and Lance Stroll rounded out the points positions with a tenth-place result.
Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack, recounted the “faultless” drives of the Aston Martin pilots, who were able to maximise the opportunities the unique conditions offered them. Vettel’s amazing start and early switch to slicks allowed him to secure the impressive result, while Stroll’s opening lap brought him from fifteenth up to the edge of the points.
“Both Sebastian and Lance drove faultlessly in today’s tricky wet-to-dry race. In wet conditions, Sebastian vaulted into ninth on lap one, then comfortably raced inside the top 10 for the whole race. As the track dried, he was one of the very first drivers to roll the dice and switch from Intermediates to the Medium tyre. The team and he judged that stop perfectly and Sebastian then ran smoothly in P7 until the closing laps, when he dropped to eighth.
“Equally, Lance didn’t put a foot wrong this afternoon. He too made a strong start, made up positions on the opening lap, and enjoyed a fantastic, spirited tussle with [Yuki] Tsunoda. After his stop, he settled down in 10th place, withstood race-long pressure from a train of cars behind him and scored his first point of the season.”
Krack said that the team’s performance in Imola boosted morale, as the British outfit will be looking to keep developing in order to move further up the field as the season progresses. With five points on the board, Aston Martin have overtaken Williams Racing for ninth in the Constructors’ Championship.
“This was an eventful and exciting Grand Prix – and only ourselves and Red Bull Racing managed to bring both cars home in the points today. We know we still have a long way to go, but this afternoon’s result is a great boost for the whole team – both here in Imola and back at the factory.”
Credit: Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team