Red Bull, with whom Sebastian Vettel won four world championships, was where he spent the majority of his Formula One career. After that, he switched to Ferrari but was unable to repeat his Red Bull success there. As a result, Vettel went to Aston Martin, where he raced for the final two years of his career.
Vettel, who had just one podium finish with the Silverstone-based team, made the decision to give up racing at the conclusion of the 2022 season. Few people anticipated Aston Martin to accomplish much over the holiday break because they were struggling at the wrong end of the grid at the time. But, Fernando Alonso was one guy who had faith in Lawrence Stroll and his group.
BREAKING: Sebastian Vettel has announced he will retire from F1 at the end of the 2022 season
4 world titles
53 race wins
122 podiums
1 phenomenal career#ThankYouSeb pic.twitter.com/K8BVXI6IAxFormula 1 (@F1) July 28, 2022
The two-time world champion is off to a great start with Aston Martin, finishing third in Bahrain on his debut. Since he plans to compete at the front of the grid for the remainder of the year, Alonso is confident about the British team’s chances in 2023. Many people have praised Alonso for the drive he displayed at the age of 41, but a distinguished former world champion has criticized his predecessor Vettel.
Former world champion questions commitment of Sebastian Vettel
The 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve praised Fernando Alonso for his recent performance. The Spaniard made it plain that his goal when he returned to Formula One in 2021 was to win races and contend for the championship, not just continue competing.
Alonso’s age has been questioned by many, but he has disproved them and shows no signs of slowing down. Vettel, meanwhile, left Formula One at the age of 36. The four-time world champion argued that spending time with his family came before competing in Formula One.
The smile on Fernando Alonso s face says it all! A debut podium with Aston Martin pic.twitter.com/TkB7MV8ECz
Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 5, 2023
Villeneuve, on the other hand, made a crude jab at Vettel and questioned his level of hunger. The former Williams driver claimed that Vettel only resigned because he was losing races and had no interest in competing elsewhere.
In contrast, Alonso made the decision to quit Alpine because he didn’t have access to a race-winning vehicle at Enstone and instead joined a team where he believed he would be successful.
Fernando Alonso Looking to Build upon A Positive Start to 2023
His third-place performance in Bahrain became Alonso’s 99th podium of his career and his first since the Qatar Grand Prix in 2021. Alonso will be hopeful that things only get better from here because the AMR-23 appeared to have a great racing pace.
Alonso will be aiming to continue on his and the team’s strong start going into the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in order to contend for the championship.
