2022 AM Wings_Mono Negative
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Driver debrief: Spanish GP

Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One™ Team and Sebastian Vettel's bold strategy almost paid off with a points finish in the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel

Team-mate Lance Stroll's move up the order took a significant setback after Pierre Gasly collided with his AMR22.

Sebastian

Sebastian lined up 15th for the Grand Prix but quickly gained ground as rivals ahead clashed, benefitting from a collision between Lewis Hamilton and Kevin Magnussen, as well as a setback for Guanyu Zhou.

The four-time World Champion ran in 13th early on until Fernando Alonso launched a move into Turn One on lap six of 66.

Sebastian expertly closed the door at Turn One and defended resolutely through Turns Two to Five to keep the Spaniard behind for another lap.

While Alonso moved clear on the following lap, Sebastian and the team played the long game – running the longest first stint of any driver: 21 laps on a set of used Softs.

Spanish Grand Prix

Race report

Go inside the story of our 2022 Spanish Grand Prix and hear from Lance, Sebastian and Team Principal Mike Krack. Discover the data underpinning our races and more in our comprehensive race report.

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Spanish Grand Prix

"Today was all about managing the tyres and the grip – it was very slippery out there," explained Sebastian.

"Everyone’s tyres were falling to pieces and lots of drivers pitted fairly early, so we tried something different by opting for a two-stopper."

That allowed Sebastian to cycle up to sixth before tyre degradation began to tell, necessitating his first stop for another set of used Softs.

Returning to the track in 16th, Sebastian quickly utilised the softer compound and better tyre life to carve back through the order, returning to the top 10 halfway through the race.

His final stop on lap 42 pre-empted a late turn of pace that almost yielded points – the highlight being a dive past McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo for 12th at Turn One.

Making short work of the likes of Pierre Gasly and Mick Schumacher, Sebastian carved into the seven-second gap held by Tsunoda ahead.

Sebastian Vettel
We knew this new package was not going to be a massive step straight away, but we believe it's a better direction for the future.
Sebastian Vettel

Despite reducing the gap, and setting his fastest lap late on, Sebastian fell just short in 11th.

Ultimately, we just lacked a bit too much pace to really be able to attack the points-scoring positions," said Sebastian.

"But we tried something – P11 is not much of a reward, but we had a decent race.

"We knew this new package was not going to be a massive step straight away, but we believe it is a better direction for the future.

"We are making progress and going forwards, and that is what really matters."

Lance

Lance's Grand Prix was effectively ended after a clash with Pierre Gasly approaching halfway through the race.

The Canadian had started 17th and, like Sebastian, gained several places following errors higher up the field.

A similarly long first stint to his team-mate allowed him to climb well inside the top 10, pitting on lap 14 to swap a set of used Softs for another.

Lance Stroll
The positive is that the car did feel better than it did in qualifying.
Lance Stroll

But any chance of late gains went up in smoke when he spun off the track after contact from Gasly, requiring a second stop.

Losing time for a lengthy precautionary stop, Lance returned to action at the rear of the field with an insurmountable task ahead.

"It was a difficult race, though it was largely ended by the contact with Pierre [Gasly] when I overtook him going through Turn One," said Lance.

"We had to pit and check over the car, so that cost us up to 30 seconds."

While he was able to make progress, including a DRS-assisted blast past Kevin Magnussen late on, he could only finish 15th.

"The positive is that the car did feel better than it did in qualifying, which is important considering we are running a new package," said Lance.

"We need to go away and review the whole weekend, look at what we have learned, and then apply it for Monaco.

"I am very excited for the next race - it is such a special Grand Prix, and I cannot wait to get started."

Spanish GP

Race report

Spanish GP

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