Continuing with its positive dynamic, Aston Martin saw its two drivers fight constantly in the points zone. However, Lance Stroll had to retire after Fernando Alonso’s A522 collided with the rear of his AMR22, an incident that resulted in a three-place grid penalty for the Canadian in Mexico. Vettel’s career also came close to collapsing due to a very slow second pit stop.
However, the German, who will retire from Formula 1 at the end of this season after a brilliant race, climbed back to eighth with a pair of surprising outside passes from Alex Albon and Kevin Magnussen on the final lap of the race. .
Although Vettel stressed that his decision to end his F1 career “was made” , he admitted that he will “miss the adrenaline” of the final laps in Austin.
“Obviously I will miss these moments. That’s no secret,” said the four-time world champion.
“But I’ve thought a lot to make that decision and I’ve also thought about these moments that I’m going to miss like the adrenaline and stuff. Obviously a part of me is going to miss it a lot, but another part is looking forward to what’s to come.”
Vettel said it was a “total surprise” that the Aston Martin was quicker than its rivals throughout the weekend. But the AMR22 lacked the top speed needed to overtake with the help of DRS.
So he had to be bold attacking Albon and Magnussen in the last sector, making nearly identical passes in the quadruple right-hander.
“It was a surprise to be quicker than the McLarens and the Alpines,” he admitted. “We’ve taken good care of the tyres, but I don’t think it’s the main factor.”
“Obviously without the slow pitstop we would have scored double the points . In return, at least I had a fun race, and we were able to make up some points.”
“Unfortunately, we didn’t have the pace on the straights to overtake the opposition comfortably, so I had to try something unusual, either under braking or unusual spots. I did, and it worked.”
” I had fun and I had very close battles , especially with Kevin at the end. He is one of the most difficult drivers to overtake on the entire grid, but he gave me just enough space and it was a lot of fun for both of us.” “.
