Vettel: Aston Martin not concerned about rear wing protests
Sebastian Vettel has said the team is not concerned about potential protests from their paddock rivals over the modified rear wing fitted for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Aston Martin unveiled the new wing in Budapest which looked radically different to any other on the grid and closer resembled a 2021 car than it did this year’s iteration.
The wing was used in both of the opening two practice sessions and while the Aston Martin drivers were not suddenly top of the leaderboard, they were reportedly running aero tests and are said to be very happy with the results.
The FIA is reported as to have been okay with the new design but some of the other teams may take issue with it and argue it does not follow the intended 2022 regulation change.
Vettel was asked if he and Aston Martin were concerned about potential protests from other teams to which he replied with a simple “no” and a smile.
The German, who announced his decision to retire at the end of the season on Thursday, said the rear wing was doing what it was supposed to do but it was “not a massive step in performance.”
Back out for some more learning. 📊#F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/AyA0jqi2o9
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) July 29, 2022
“Overall it was a good day for us,” he told F1.com following FP2. “We didn’t have any problems, we were able to get a good feel of the car. It’s still a bit disconnected here and there, and some stuff to do.
“Obviously, this is a track where you try to have and put all the downforce on the car that you can. Obviously, there’s a new rear wing, it’s not a secret.
“It’s not a massive step in performance. I think it’s doing what it was supposed to, so you don’t see a big, big jump for us.
“I think we probably were a bit more aggressive than maybe other Fridays. So yeah, overall, it’s good to see that the team is trying to think of things and solutions, but you always wish that they were having more of an impact.”
His team-mate Lance Stroll was also asked to share some more information about the new rear wing but said he was not going to go into “too much detail.”
“The guys have done a great job back in the factory. It’s hopefully a step in the right direction but looking at it today, it looked promising.
“We have to look at the data and see but looking at the timesheets, it seems quite good.”
Looking ahead to the Hungarian Grand Prix
The Hungarian Grand Prix is the final race before Formula 1's summer break.