Stroll gets priority over Vettel with Aston Martin update

Aston Martin and Sebastian Vettel are not a happy marriage so far this season. The four-times world champion even has trouble keeping up with his new teammate Lance Stroll. This was also the case on Friday in Portimao, but there was another explanation.

Lance Stroll drove with an upgrade on the car, while Sebastian Vettel had to make do with 'old' material. The update that Aston Martin brought was originally planned for the Spanish Grand Prix, but Otmar Szafnauer told Sky Germany that they had one copy of the update ready just in time for the race in Portugal.

Aston Martin needs a step forward

According to the team boss, three sets of the new parts will be available in Spain, so Vettel can also benefit from these possible improvements. From Vettel's comments after the free practice sessions, one might conclude that this should also make a difference.

"No, not really," says Vettel when asked if he is a little frustrated with the fact that he was six tenths slower than Stroll. "He's driving with a bit of a different specification this weekend and that was clear from the start. I hope he can take a step forward with it."