Aston Martin thought of Vettel before Drugovich to replace Lance Stroll
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Aston Martin test driver Felipe Drugovich took part in three days of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain after Lance Stroll suffered a bicycle accident. The Canadian even had to undergo surgery on his wrist, but recovered in time to start the season at the Bahrain GP.
According to the boss of the team, Mike Krack, the Brazilian was not the first option in the preparations. He revealed on Tuesday that the team had considered calling up Sebastian Vettel to replace Stroll. The German retired at the end of last season, making room for Fernando Alonso.
For Krack, the team was very tempted to call its former driver for the tests in Bahrain and that he only didn’t do it “out of great respect” for the recent decision to retire from the tracks. Alonso was still adapting to the car.
Asked on the F1 Nation Podcast if he was tempted to call Vettel, Krack did not hide his will. “Tempted? Yes, 100%. But we didn’t because we have great respect for Sebastian and the decision he made at the time. I don’t think it would have been right to ask,” he said. “We wanted to respect the way he was and we didn’t want to put him in any difficult position.”
The head of Aston Martin also revealed that he received a message from the German driver after the podium conquered by Alonso at the opening of the season, at the Sakhir circuit. “We’ve been in touch. Sebastian was like Sebastian congratulating us, very gentlemanly, after our first podium in Bahrain,” revealed Krack.
The manager told the German that he was also part of the progress of the team and, therefore, was also part of the podium. “I always told him, because he really brought us a step up in the previous two years. He raised us in many areas, where we learned a lot and progressed a lot,” he said.
“I think the respect between him and the team, or the respect between us was very much shown by this great moment of congratulating us. That was really, really appreciated and I also relayed it to the whole team.”
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