Sebastian Vettel: “A good strategy and one-lap pace will be important this weekend”

Sebastian Vettel says the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team are continuing to make progress with its AMR21, but the German has not scored points in any of the past three races.

Vettel was running inside the top ten in the British Grand Prix two weeks ago, but an early race spin caused by a technical issue left him at the back of the field, before that issue worsened and forced his late-race retirement.

The four-time World Champion says Aston Martin will be looking to qualify well on Saturday for the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend before bidding for a top ten finish on Sunday.

“I think we’re making progress with the AMR21, although it was a shame not to be able to get the strong points we looked set for at Silverstone,” said Vettel.  “We’re close to a well-earned summer break, but we need to keep pushing until the very last lap in Hungary before we get some downtime.

“Overtaking is hard in Hungary, so a good strategy and one-lap pace will be important this weekend.”

“The Hungaroring is a unique track with few overtaking opportunities” – Lance Stroll

Team-mate Lance Stroll was able to convert a lowly grid slot into a points finish at Silverstone, and he is looking for another top ten result this weekend.

The Canadian started fourteenth in the British Grand Prix but was able to fight through to eighth and four important points for the team as they battle Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda and Alpine F1 Team for fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship.

Stroll knows he will need a much-improved performance in Qualifying in Hungary if he is to score points for seventh time in eleven races in the first half of the season.

“We showed a lot of determination and fight as we converted a challenging Silverstone into points, and we will be bringing that momentum forward with us to Hungary,” said Stroll.  

“The Hungaroring is a unique track with few overtaking opportunities, so this puts increased importance on our qualifying, and a clinical tyre strategy on Sunday is mission-critical.”

Lance Stroll is looking for a strong performance in Qualifying in Hungary – Credit: Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team