Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll calls his teammate Sebastian Vettel “very knowledgeable” and suggests he can help the team in 2021.
Notable changes were made to the F1 team’s 2021 car, with a new bargeboard design and floor among a number of changes impacting the behavior of their AMR21 from its predecessor, the RP20, which Stroll found somewhat difficult to adapt to.
Wind in testing at Bahrain made this especially difficult for the young Canadian, who says the conditions made driving ‘unpredictable’. “It was hard to really get a proper feel for some of the changes we’ve made to the rear end,” Stroll conceded, when speaking to media including F1, Racefans, Motorsport Network and more.
“There was a lot of data to look at and things to figure ahead of the first race. I think the wind was such a big factor, that it really made one corner to the next so different and very unpredictable. With the 20-25 km/h winds that we had, you feel the headwind.
“You just feel a lot of grip, and where you feel the tailwind you feel no grip,” Stroll said. Nonetheless, the experience of veteran newcomer Vettel should help Aston Martin learn their new car quickly, especially when conditions are sub-par, as per the Canadian.
“Sebastian is very knowledgeable when it comes to describe the behaviour of the car,” he began. “Sebastian also knows what he wants from the car. His comments are very wise. He has a lot of experience and is a very talented driver. It’s still early days though.
“I’m sure I’ll get to know Sebastian much better when we start to go racing and when we will be on the track at the same time doing similar programmes. We will probably be able to relate to each other’s comments and give our feedback.
“We will have a much better idea about what we’re both talking about,” stated Stroll, adding that going by experience, he knows more about Aston Martin than Vettel, which works for him, but he notes that team is doing all to get him up to speed quickly.
“I have got the experience of the team though and I know last year’s car – I am definitely a lot more familiar with this car and how this team operates than he is,” said Stroll. “Sebastian is still getting up to speed with a lot of things and learning a lot about how this team operates and how this car operates.
“There are a lot of new buttons, a lot of new things going on for him. We’re in different positions, but I’m sure we can guide this team in the right direction. It is important to get the most out of the car this year,” summed up Stroll.
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