Aston Martin 'ticked all the boxes' for Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel

Aston Martin 'ticked all the boxes' for Vettel

Vettel explains the thinking behind his decision to join Aston Martin

Sam Hall

Thursday 8 October 2020 06:59 Updated: 10:12

Sebastian Vettel has claimed the project to bring Aston Martin into Formula 1 ticked all the boxes in terms of what he was looking for and that it sounded "fun".

After being announced as an Aston Martin driver for 2021, Vettel has previously revealed how close he was to opting for retirement over continuing in the sport.

But while often taking time to talk up the team, the German has seldom explained what attracted him to the Silverstone-based outfit.

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Speaking to the Beyond the Grid podcast, Vettel attributed team owner Lawrence Stroll as being chiefly responsible, but claims there were "a lot of factors" that were attractive to him regarding the project.

Aside from the fact "the team is growing", Vettel added: "Those boxes were quite easy to tick in terms of the performance, the racing side of things, where the team is, where the team might be, the potential and so on.

“But more so I think it was the mindset and the will to really do something and do something good, bring something good together. It sounds like a fun project and ultimately something I wanted to be part of."

Vettel, who has raced with Ferrari for six years, is hopeful he can keep the team moving in the right direction up the constructors' standings in the future.

Currently, the team sits fourth in the points table, just two behind third-placed McLaren.

“It is very different to Ferrari," added Vettel. "Racing Point as it stands today is future Aston Martin. It will be growing. A lot of things are happening for the first time and I think it’s an incredible, challenging journey for the whole team.

“Me joining, I hope I can contribute a lot of things and do good in the car and out of the car.”

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