F1 News
2021 final review: Aston Martin severely disappoints
The Formula 1 season has come to an end, which means it's time to look back at the sizzling racing season. In this article, GPblog looks at the year of Aston Martin, the seventh team in the Constructors' Championship.
Aston Martin: 5.7
Racing Point changed its name to Aston Martin last year, hoping to revive its history. However, that proved more difficult than expected. With Sebastian Vettel replacing Sergio Perez, who left for Red Bull Racing, the team was confident of a great season, but it was hard work in the end.
While Stroll picked up points for Aston Martin in the first two races in Bahrain and Italy, it took Vettel five races to put in a good performance. The team then had to continue to compete with the mid-tier drivers, but Aston Martin failed to do so either.
At the end of the season, Aston Martin found itself in no man's land. Whereas AlphaTauri, with Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda, was in sixth place with 142 points, Aston Martin only managed 77 points. Williams, which was again one place below Aston Martin, had no less than 54 points less than its competitor.
All GPblog team figures can be found here!
Internal duel
| Vettel | Stroll | |
| 7 | Race duel | 8 |
| 43 | Points | 34 |
| 14 | Qualifying match | 8 |
| -0.078 | Qualifying difference | +0.078 |
Although Vettel seemed to be of great value to Aston Martin with all his experience, it was disappointing last season. The figures show that the differences from his teammate are not great. Looking at the qualifying duels Vettel did make a good impression.
Vettel: 6.0
The 34-year-old German made the switch to Ferrari last season and, with his four world championships, looked set to help Aston Martin. On the track, however, there was little sign of the driver's great qualities this season. He didn't get any further than twelfth in the world championship.
Where Perez managed to shake off Stroll in recent years Vettel had a lot more trouble with the Canadian. With a difference of only nine points, Vettel could not convince. At the same time, Vettel did stand out positively with his statements in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, showing his personality.
Stroll: 5.8
After spending two seasons at Williams, Stroll made the switch to Racing Point in 2019. During his first two seasons, he finished on 21 and 75 points respectively. Last season, Stroll did significantly less with a 41 point difference from 2020, but that is partly due to his car.
The Canadian driver managed to rack up points on several occasions this year, putting him close to Vettel at the end of the year. Despite this, he was unable to pull Aston Martin in front and produce any surprises. This season he and Vettel will get another chance to prove themselves.
