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Sebastian Vettel does not avoid real torture. The Formula 1 driver revealed a few days ago that he had always wanted to get through an Ironman triathlon. And then, "even if it's cheesy", he might want to get a tattoo with the Ironman symbol on his ankle, the 33-year-old let us know with a grin. But Vettel still has enough to cope with his everyday torment in the racing car. After his unsuccessful debut at Aston Martin, the Hessian hopes for an end to his breakdown series at the third round of the season in Portugal on Sunday (4 p.m. / Sky).

"Portimão is a good place to bet on a clean weekend," said Vettel before the trip to the Algarve coast.

The last carefree ride was a long time ago for the four-time world champion.

The misery of the last Ferrari year has so far continued seamlessly at Aston Martin.

15 times in a row, the Heppenheimer did not even make it into the qualifying section of the top ten, and then mostly hardly anything went on in the race.

“I know I haven't got the most out of the car yet.

That we know that is another good reason to keep trying, "said Vettel.

15th place each in Bahrain and Imola, accidents, driving errors, technical defects and tactical mistakes - things can hardly get worse for him at Aston Martin.

Missing kilometers and waiting for the upgrade

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Team boss Otmar Szafnauer relies on the suffering of his star shopping.

“He's not getting ready.

I think he'll master the car and then he'll get better and better, ”said the 56-year-old.

Vettel has yet to provide proof of this.

After the previous year in the stubborn Ferrari, the ex-champion does not find it easy to switch to the new company car.

All the more serious are the missing test kilometers in winter and the partly involuntary problems in the first races.

Sebastian Vettel: Trend reversal is not in sight

Source: Getty Images / Mark Thompson

So far, Vettel has simply not really been able to pick up speed, especially since a rule change not only slowed Mercedes but also the partner team Aston Martin with its similar vehicle concept.

"We need a bigger step to make a difference," warned Vettel to upgrade the AMR-21.

In Portugal, however, there are still no new components for his car; an upgrade is not planned until a week later in Barcelona.

Szafnauer understands Vettel's impatience.

"He has high expectations of himself and will work tirelessly to get better and to push the learning curve up," said the team boss.

Further setbacks hardly fit into the concept of the new works team, which with the help of the financial injections from billionaire Lawrence Stroll wanted to at least lead the field behind Mercedes and Red Bull.

In view of Vettel's false start, the specialist magazine “Speedweek” promptly asked reservist Nico Hülkenberg whether he would soon replace his compatriot in the cockpit.

"No, I do not think so.

I believe that he will end the season there, "replied the 33-year-old Rhinelander, but also followed up with a razor-sharp analysis of Vettel:" He still needs some time and is not feeling well yet.

You can see that on the stopwatch. ”At least one thing is certain: the closed season won't last forever for Vettel.

Verstappen wins Imola GP after Mercedes-Aus

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen wins the Emilia-Romagna F1 Grand Prix ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

The race had to be interrupted on lap 32 after a crash by Valtteri Bottas.

Source: Stats Perform News