Sebastian Vettel Vettel sees no light at the end of the tunnel after first Formula 1 2022 Pre-Season Testing.
Aston Martin had enjoyed a moderately successful opening two days of the official shakedown test, with drivers Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel completing a combined total of 296 laps.
It was the German who got the team’s sole running on the final day, before an oil leak resulted in a small fire on the AMR22. Understandably the team stood no chance of any further running.
Losing half a day of testing to an oil leak, Sebastian Vettel says at the moment Aston Martin are not “seeing the peak” of the mountain they need to climb.
Formula 1 has all-new cars this season meaning pre-season running is more important than ever before.
It started out well for Aston Martin, 119 laps on day one and 129 on day two, with Vettel P6 on both days.
However, day three, Friday’s running, didn’t go according to plan.
Vettel stopped out on track on his 48th lap of the morning due to an oil leak that caused a small fire.
Such was the damage that Vettel’s day was cut short, and his team-mate Lance Stroll didn’t get to run in the afternoon.
“The oil leak caused a small fire,” Aston Martin tweeted, later adding that “despite the team’s best efforts, we will not be running again.
“We’d like to thank the team for all their hard work. We go again in Bahrain.”
The team, though, was by no means alone in their issues.
Both Haas and Alfa Romeo had several issues over the course of the three days while Alpine also lost track time on day three with an engine issue curtailing Fernando Alonso’s running.
Vettel concedes Aston Martin still have a “mountain” to climb with their all-new car.
“There is still a lot to learn, the car wants to be driven in a different way,” he told the official F1 website.
“I’m playing with driving styles and what I can do, equally we are playing with the car trying to sort some of the problems and challenges we face and find solutions.
“There is still a lot to do, everyone is flat out and there is still a very, very steep high mountain to climb.
“I can’t say at the minute we are seeing the peak but it is fun, the challenge is fun.
“There is the belief that one day we will reach the peak, hopefully just before the season.
“But yeah I think it is going to be a long year and everybody is in the same boat of learning these cars and having certain troubles.”
Aston Martin will be back on track on 10 March for the start of the second three-day pre-season test which will take place at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain.
Vettel sees no light at the end of the tunnel Vettel sees no light at the end of the tunnel Formula 1 2022 Pre-Season Formula 1 2022 Pre-Season
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