The Azerbaijan Grand Prix would’ve filled the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team with confidence, after Sebastian Vettel performed brilliantly to finish in sixth-place at the Baku City Circuit.
It could’ve and should’ve been even better for Vettel, who had the pace for fifth but lost a heap of time early on in the race. The German had to perform an impressive U-turn at Turn Three mid-race, after out-braking himself on the outside of Esteban Ocon down into the corner. The French driver was on old tyres, whilst Vettel was trying to make the most of his fresh rubber.
Nevertheless, sixth was a great result for the four-time World Champion, who scored the team some important points. Lance Stroll was forced into a late retirement from sixteenth-place, following a weekend to forget. The Canadian crashed in Qualifying, resulting in a Qualifying One elimination, and then suffered a vibration issue during the race. Stroll will be hoping for better at his home event this weekend.
Team Principal Mike Krack, discussed what a “solid weekend” it was for the British team, whilst sharing his disappointment for Stroll.
“Sebastian capped a solid weekend with a good drive to sixth place in Baku today, thereby scoring eight valuable points in the constructors’ world championship. Lance was disadvantaged by a power unit issue in qualifying yesterday and a vibration problem today, which finally caused us to have to retire him a few laps before the end of the race. So we had mixed fortunes this weekend, but our car showed encouraging pace throughout.
“Next up is Canada in just a few days’ time – one of our home Grands Prix – where we will work hard to put up a competitive and trouble-free performance for both drivers on the streets of Montreal.”