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Sebastian Vettel likes to give his racing car a personal touch.
To do this, he baptizes his cars with a woman's name before the start of the season.
Last year, the Heppenheimer drove the red “Lucilla” around the track.
Vettel wants to continue this tradition with his new Aston Martin team.
But sitting together with a few beers is rather difficult in Corona times, explained Vettel with a view to finding a name.
And so the German starts the first Formula 1 weekend of the year in Bahrain with a nameless racing car.
Fans and experts are excited to see how Vettel now presents himself at Aston Martin after his sobering end at Ferrari.
He himself spreads optimism: “Our team narrowly missed third place in the team ranking last year.
I hope we will be as strong or even stronger in 2021. "
The 33-year-old racing driver did not want to know about the fact that the change and the initial situation on the Force India successor team may have lower expectations.
"What counts is my expectation," said Vettel.
"My expectations of myself are very high, and I want to meet them."
Between old masters and construction workers
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As a construction helper and highly decorated accelerator of success, Vettel will also need patience.
"You have to give it all a little time," emphasized the 53-time Grand Prix winner.
On Sunday he will start a new mission: the new Aston Martin is green as hope and no longer red as alarm during his six frustrating years at Ferrari.
"The first thing to do now is to get on the podium regularly," said Gerhard Berger recently.
The 61-year-old Austrian knows Vettel very well.
He should set himself the podium finish as a goal in the first two years, said Berger.
On the other hand, he does not yet see Vettel with Aston Martin on the World Cup course.
Berger also emphasized: "Sebastian still has three or four good years ahead of him, if he wants that."
"He has already proven that he is one of the best racing drivers in the scene that has ever existed," said Berger with a view to Vettel, who in recent years had to accept more setbacks than he was able to celebrate successes.
“His balance is that he is a four-time world champion.
Nobody can take that away from him, ”emphasized Berger.
Vettel speaks of world title
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Vettel himself wants to go forward, to the very front.
Just like racing team owner and billionaire Lawrence Stroll wants to make Aston Martin the world champion team.
The noticeable euphoria at the presentation of the AMR21, which also included a greeting from James Bond actor Daniel Craig, was followed by a first small disillusionment during the test drives two weeks before the start on the Bahrain International Circuit.
The result: defective, few laps, hardly any time to get used to the new car.
Green instead of red - Vettel has just not found a nickname for his new racing car
Source: AFP
But what the father of three needs above all in order to be able to achieve his best performance is a team in which he feels comfortable and valued.
Despite its own declarations of love and enthusiasm at the beginning, Ferrari did not develop into a great emotional oasis for Vettel.
It culminated in the manner of separation that Ferrari had announced even before last season's late first race.
For his part, Vettel announced his new commitment to Aston Martin before the 1000th Scuderia race.
Whether by chance or revenge, the timing struck Ferrari.
Vettel is not concerned about satisfaction with the troubled ex-team from Italy this year and beyond.
“The best thing he can do and what anyone can do is forget his years at Ferrari,” advised former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone recently.
Vettel, who worked for Red Bull in 2013, won his last world title so far with “Hungry Heidi”.
Just before the start of the season, he made it clear how hungry for success the veteran still is: "I am still good enough to win races and drive for the championship," emphasized the ex-world champion to "Sport Bild" and added: "Provided the package is right."