Which Sebastian Vettel will F1 get at Aston Martin in 2021?

Sebastian Vettel heads into a new adventure with Aston Martin with hope and optimism, but which version of the four-time world champion will Formula 1 witness in 2021? 

Vettel has joined Aston Martin off the back of his worst season in F1, a disappointing final year at Ferrari, which had already decided it did not wish to continue with the German long before the 2020 campaign had even got underway.

Vettel’s move to Aston Martin follows a difficult few seasons in which he has been usurped by Charles Leclerc and struggled to overcome the errors that have become a regular feature of recent campaigns.

A number of high-profile mistakes amid back-to-back title defeats at the hands of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes in 2017 and 2018 appeared to take their toll on Vettel, even before he was comprehensively outperformed by new teammate Leclerc, whose rapid rise to stardom at Ferrari only further unsettled him. 

Last season, Vettel slumped to a new career low in the tricky-to-drive SF1000, finishing 13th in the championship with just 33 points to his name. 

“Sebastian had a very challenging year last year," Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll said in an interview with the BBC earlier this month. 

“All of us would find it challenging that you lose your job before the season starts. That's mentally very difficult, and you know how mental a game F1 is for drivers. 

"He had a car he found tricky to drive that didn't suit his driving style. We've seen that before in his last year at Red Bull [in 2014]. 

"But he's a four-time world champion. I don't think he forgot how to drive in one year. He has a work ethic that is known as second to none in the paddock in terms of how hard he works. 

“One of the ways we are going to be world champions is to get my guys to think and act like world champions. And how you do that is bring a four-time world champion into the team. 

"He is going to take the team in a direction of leading us to where ultimately we want to be. 

"I am not concerned. I know Sebastian well, and I have 100% confidence and belief he will do a fantastic job with us. He is more motivated than he has ever been.” 

There were some flashes of promise and signs of recovery from Vettel, however, most notably his brilliant pole lap at Suzuka in 2019 and drive to third place in treacherous conditions at last year’s Turkish Grand Prix, where he enjoyed a rare triumph over Leclerc in both qualifying and the race. 

Despite admitting he initially considered hanging up his helmet and quitting F1 for good after learning of Ferrari’s decision to drop him, Vettel has found renewed motivation in the Aston Martin project, which is bringing the iconic British name back to the F1 grid in a full works’ capacity for the first time in over 60 years. 

The 33-year-old may have ultimately taken a step back into F1’s midfield, but he arrives at a team that is on the up, scoring its first grand prix victory last year and multiple podiums as it secured fourth place in the constructors’ championship. 

A multiple-year deal suggests Vettel has both his heart and head set on it for the mid-to-long term, and he will be desperate to make sure the twilight days of his career are remembered on a high note. 

Things you love to se[at]. #WelcomeSeb#IAMF1 pic.twitter.com/vWfBMlYZwW

— Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) January 27, 2021

F1’s development carry-over into 2021 means Vettel will have a much better car underneath compared to the underperforming Ferrari of 2020. The RP20 was a consistent package and its successor should provide Vettel with a more stable base to build from in 2021, something he greatly missed last year.

Aston Martin’s 2021 car will also be powered by the current best engine in F1, providing yet another element of excitement for Vettel, who is yet to drive with the power unit that has conquered the V6 hybrid era. 

The Silverstone outfit is aiming for more podiums and wins in 2021 and it believes it has the driver line-up to succeed in those ambitions, with team principal Otmar Szafnauer tipping Vettel’s “winning mentality” to bring out the best in his new teammate Lance Stroll. 

Meanwhile, Aston Martin technical director Andrew Green is confident that a combination of all those factors can help Vettel rediscover his “mojo” and get him back closer to the level he was at when he was dominating F1 en route to four successive titles with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013. 

"I think he's going to bring a completely new dynamic to the whole team," said Green in October last year. 

"It shows a measure of intent by Lawrence, where he wants to take the team, and what he wants to do with it. I think that's a really strong statement.

“He's a multiple world champion, he's going to bring a methodology of working that we haven't seen before. And that's what we want.

"We want someone who's been there and done it, and can show us what it takes. What does it take to start winning races? What does it take to win a championship? And he will bring that.

"And conversely, I think we can help Seb as well. I think he's not in a great place at the moment in his head.

"I think he's lost his mojo a little bit. And I think we are just the best team at turning drivers around and getting them back into their sweet spot. So I think we can really help him.”

Green believes that Aston Martin’s “driver-focused” approach and supportive environment that is free from politics will revitalise Vettel and ultimately provide him with the platform to flourish. 

"We take a lot of time to understand our drivers and work with them, and we form a really strong relationship and bond with our drivers,” Green explained.

"And that helps to nurture them and to get them to feel comfortable and secure, and not worry that things are going on behind their backs.

"We take out all the politics and it just allows them to focus on driving the car as quickly as possible. And I think we can get Seb back into that place."

With a fresh start and a change of scenery, can Vettel finally get out of his negative spiral? His switch to Aston Martin promises to be one of the most fascinating stories to follow in 2021.