Vettel Aston Martin legacy benefit revealed

Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough believes the team will continue to feel the benefit of Sebastian Vettel's stay for years to come.

The four-time F1 champion retired from the sport following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November after spending two seasons racing with Aston Martin.

After a difficult start to the year, Aston Martin made full use of Vettel's experience to develop the AMR22 to move up the order, becoming regular points scorers over the closing races.

"He’s had a big impact on our team," said McCullough.

"He came from two big teams with the experience of winning races, winning championships, so he brought a lot of knowledge to our team, on a lot of small details, on how to operate and how to develop the car and what actually is important.

"The driver is one of the best sensors. We’ve got some very good tools and software but the driver input is key.

"He’s very motivational, he’s a lovely human being who worked really hard. He pushes everyone in every area and he helped us lift our game."

Although Vettel is no longer a part of the team, McCullough expects the groundwork laid by the German will continue to propel Aston Martin.

"Unfortunately, we've not quite given him a car good enough for him to challenge further up the grid," he added.

"But we've definitely learned a lot from him and improved. And I think, hopefully in the next few years, we're going to see the results of that."