According to former racing driver Jason Watt, Sebastian Vettel is ‘finished’ on the track. But, he also thinks that Vettel will not be booted from the team as he ‘pays off his own salary’ through sponsorship and marketing.
After being dropped from Ferrari, Vettel signed a multi-year deal with Aston Martin. For many, this change in team was like a fresh start for Vettel. However, there has been almost no change in his performance even after joining the Silverstone team.
Vettel’s debut in Bahrain was a nightmare for the team, especially after he failed to make it out of Q1. He also received a time penalty during the race.
In Imola, Vettel was able to make it out of Q1. However, he was unable to join his teammate Lance Stroll in Q3. Running outside points on Sunday, Aston Martin instructed him late in the race to retire his car.
Even though Vettel is not in the best of form on the track, he is not likely to get sacked.
According to Watt, the German is important to Aston Martin for the time being. This is mainly because Vettel ‘pays his own salary’ through sponsorship and marketing.
“Vettel is a finished man,” the 51-year-old said via Formula1News.
“It’s a very long time since he did anything good. He also makes many mistakes and looks like a man under pressure.
“I don’t know if he can keep it up mentally. I do hope he stays the year, because he’s probably clinging to the hope that things will start to go his way all of a sudden.
“People talk about him being an expensive guy for the team, but you also have to consider that he will have attracted a lot of sponsorship money, so he effectively pays his own salary.”
Even though Vettel is still out of form, his teammate Lance Stroll has finished in top 10 back to back. He earned five points for the team which has Aston Martin placed at P6 in the Constructor’s Championship.
Do you think Vettel will be able to upgrade his performance? Let us know in the comments below!
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