Vettel warns Aston Martin: “Winning doesn't guarantee you will win again”

Vettel will bow out of F1 at the end of the season after deciding to retire on the eve of the Hungarian Grand Prix in July.

Aston Martin have been working hard to acquire some of F1’s top talent, including Vettel’s replacement for next year, Fernando Alonso.

The Silverstone-based outfit have signed former Red Bull head of aerodynamics Dan Fallows and Mercedes aero chief Eric Landin.

With Aston Martin’s new signings now having direct influence on their 2023 challenger, the team is hopeful they can finally close the gap to the top three teams after a couple of lacklustre seasons in the midfield.

Speaking in an interview on Aston Martin’s official website, Vettel warned Aston Martin that the aforementioned signings won’t necessarily result in guaranteed success in F1.

“Winning doesn’t guarantee you will win again but it definitely helps,” Vettel said. “The people are in place, the new factory is being built, so it’s all coming together – but it will take time.

“There was a huge chance with the regulation changes this year, but we fell into the same trap many others did. Some teams maybe got a little lucky, designing a car around a ride height that would work.

“Now we have these regulations until 2026, so the teams that had a good start will have a head-start over the teams that had a bad start, and the budget cap means you can’t just throw money and resources at the problem to catch up.”

During his two seasons with the team, Vettel has scored just one podium, while the team is on for seventh in the F1 standings for the second year running.

Despite their lack of competitiveness, Vettel doesn’t regret joining the team.

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“No, not at all. I don't think it was a useless two years, even though the results and points we scored weren't that useful or what we hoped for,” he added. “I've loved working with the team – getting to know different people and different approaches. 

“These two years have been very challenging because I wasn't familiar with running at the back of the field. It has been a new experience – tough at times – and I realised a lot.”