‘Fresh start for Vettel after toughest season’
Sebastian Vettel
Ross Brawn believes Sebastian Vettel’s move to Aston Martin will be a “fresh start” for the under-fire German.
Vettel contested his final grand prix in red on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, P14 on a night that Ferrari failed to score a single point.
It was a snapshot of his 2020 campaign, a season in which he was second best to Charles Leclerc, as he was at the Yas Marina circuit, and one in which points were hard to come by.
Vettel finished the championship a disappointing P13 with just 33 points.
He, however, wasn’t the only driver saying farewell to a team on Sunday night with Carlos Sainz helping McLaren take third place in the Constructors’ Championship in his final race for the Woking team while Daniel Ricciardo raced his last grand prix in Renault colours.
“The 2021 grid will look very different, with several drivers set to leave the sport while others are switching teams to start a new chapter,” Brawn wrote in his post-race column.
“Carlos Sainz signed off on a high before his move from McLaren to Ferrari, the Spaniard stepping up his game once more this season while Daniel Ricciardo signed off his time at Renault with points and the fastest lap of the race ahead of his McLaren move.
“This was another chastening weekend for Sebastian Vettel, but the Aston Martin project offers him the chance of a fresh start after the toughest season of his career.”
2020’s P13 was Vettel’s worst result ever in Formula 1, even worse than his debut season with Toro Rosso where he was eighth.
Our grazie to you, #Seb5 ♥️ #essereFerrari🔴 #GrazieSeb #AbuDhabiGP 🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/ga7lEjZsmf
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) December 13, 2020
Get your hands on the official Racing Point 2020 collection via the Formula 1 store
While Formula 1 has also likely lost Daniil Kvyat and either Alex Albon or Sergio Perez from the grid, another man saying farewell was Chase Carey.
The Formula 1 chief stepped down after Abu Dhabi, handing the reins to former Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali.
Brawn applauded Carey for what he has done for the sport since Liberty Media became the owners.
“Thank you to our CEO Chase Carey for the last four years,” he said.
“As an “outsider” to F1, he’s done a remarkable job of understanding the complexities and nuances of our sport.
“He’s given us a fresh perspective on the commercial side and an enthusiastic perspective on the sport itself. He’s shown true leadership in some challenging times.
“From a personal point of view, it has been a pleasure working with Chase and I’m very pleased he is going to remain part of the family as non-executive chairman.”
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