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#IAMSTORIES | Lorena, Mexico

At the 2021 Mexican Grand Prix, Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team fan Lorena showed her passion for the team with her incredible crochet versions of Sebastian Vettel and the AMR21.

Attending qualifying at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Lorena was cheering for Sebastian, Lance and the team before the German scored points on Sunday.

Speaking to the team after qualifying at her home event, Lorena shares her story with the team in her own words.

"I began following Team Silverstone when Checo [Sergio Perez] moved there [in 2014]. I'm a Sebastian fan but, being Mexican, I was always trying to keep tabs with what happened with Checo.

"Of course, when I learned Sebastian would be joining the team, the transition was very smooth, and it felt very natural.

"I am not very good at expressing myself with words, but I feel like I can express myself a bit better through handcrafted/handmade things.

"I taught myself how to crochet five years ago, although I do this mostly as a hobby. I don't consider myself an expert by any means, but I enjoy creating things. When the final piece is done, it's a great feeling.

"I hadn't done any F1-inspired crocheting before this. It's the first time I did, and it was a lot of fun. It's definitely a massive challenge, but the end result made it worth the time and effort.

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"I decided to make a mini-Sebastian first, and then it felt as though something vital was missing, and it was, of course, his car, so I took it as a personal challenge to see if it could be done.

"It took around four weeks to get the first car done, mainly because it was the first, and I kept making changes to it.

"The second one took around a week, as I already had something to base my work on, but I still made some adjustments design-wise. I used approximately 300 grams of yarn for each car, and 150g of yarn for Sebastian.

"To attach the branding, I printed all of the decals in special waterproof materials.

"I also tried several superglue brands, because the decals kept falling off, so it's a waterproof decal, with registration marks for cutting them to the perfect size, and extra superglue for good measure.

"I think Sebastian's helmet took the longest to make. I tried to stay as close as possible to his regular design. It took a lot of time to get the three stripes in different shades to look straight. For the car, the trickiest bits were probably the rear wings, getting them to stand firmly.

"It was easier to crochet Sebastian, because I followed a basic pattern that I had created for 'people'. Of course, Honey Ryder took longer to finish, because I wanted to make the car look as similar as possible to the real one, so there was a lot of weaving off and design correction.

"Sebastian is an inspiration as a sportsman but also as a human being. Not only is he a proven champion with incredible skills and talent, he also speaks up on issues that he feels are important.

"I know he probably doesn't realise yet, just how powerful and relevant it is for someone of his reach, to be so outspoken and supportive. We are all humans, and we all make mistakes, but he accepts his and learns from them, and chooses to become better. He's a very important person in my life.

"He always gives his everything in all the things that he takes part in, and he always believes in himself.

"As a fan of the team, I absolutely love the INSIDER series. They are all so interesting, and it makes us feel like we are a part of the team.

"Seeing how vital each member is to the team, learning about their day-to-day job, is awesome.

"And, of course, the Lance vs Seb challenges are so much fun. They have a lovely relationship, and it brings their competitiveness to the surface - it's great content!"

Thanks to Lorena for sharing her story, her passion and her creative talents: #IAMSTORIES