The Aston Martin F1 team was delighted with a double points finish in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. According to team principal Mike Krack, the race at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari was an eventful and exciting Grand Prix.
Both drivers of the team scored much needed points, Sebastian Vettel crossed the finish line in P8, Lance Stroll in P10. Aston Martin is now gearing up for a new adventure, the brand new Miami Grand Prix to be held on Sunday, May 8
Aston Martin F1 lacked pace during Emilia Romagna sprint qualifying
Sebastian Vettel: “The team did very well today and we maximized everything to finish P8. It is an important result for the team as they have worked so hard in a challenging season so far. Obviously we took advantage of the cooler and humid conditions on Friday and Sunday, but we still had to take advantage of the opportunities that came our way. We also achieved that through a good strategy, by making our pit stop for dry tires at the right time. We may not have had the pure pace in this race, but we had good control of the tires and we got both cars in the points. It’s nice to get off goal and get points in the bag and now we’re looking forward to Miami.
Lance Stroll:
“It was a positive weekend for the team and it’s great to see both cars in the points. It was a well deserved point for us today as there was intense pressure throughout the race, not to mention the mixed weather conditions. At the start of the race we performed well. Everyone was battling overheated tires and a drying track, but we kept [Lewis] Hamilton behind and put [Yuki] Tsunoda in front. Once we switched to the Medium band, we continued to show a good pace and drove away from the train with cars behind us. I’m glad we performed better this weekend and took advantage of the opportunities that came our way. Qualifying and the race were in cooler and wet conditions, which may have suited us. We will enjoy today, but we will keep pushing for more in the coming races.”
Mike Krack – Team Principal: “Both Sebastian and Lance drove clear in today’s difficult wet-to-dry race. In wet conditions, Sebastian jumped to ninth on the first lap and rode comfortably in the top 10 for the entire race. When the track dried up, he was one of the very first drivers to roll the dice and switch from Intermediates to the Medium tire. He and the team judged that stop perfectly and Sebastian then ran smoothly on P7 until the final laps, when he dropped to eighth. Likewise, Lance didn’t set foot wrong this afternoon. He also got off to a strong start, making up for positions on the opening lap and enjoying a fantastic, spirited fight with [Yuki] Tsunoda. After his stop, he dropped to 10th place, withstood the race-long pressure of a train of cars behind him and scored his first point of the season. This was an eventful and exciting Grand Prix – and only us and Red Bull Racing were able to bring both cars home in the points today. We know we still have a long way to go, but this afternoon’s result is a great boost for the whole team – both here in Imola and back at the factory.”