The Silverstone -based team introduced an intriguing wing design in Budapest on Friday, having found an alternative in the regulations and received the go-ahead from the FIA to go ahead with it.
Sebastian Vettel, who recently announced he is retiring from F1, suggested that the wing did not represent a “huge step in performance” for Aston Martin, adding that the team had been more aggressive than usual with its activity plan on Friday. .
In other words, with Saturday expected to be affected by rain, the car ran on less fuel than normal, which could have favored the German’s position in the leaderboard.
However, his pace caught the attention of rival teams, who were surprised by the design of that wing.
“Overall it was a good day for us,” said the German. “We haven’t had any problems, and we have a good feeling with the car. It’s still a bit disconnected here and there, and there are a few things to do.”
“Obviously this is a track where you try to get and put as much downforce on the car as you can. Obviously we have a new rear wing, it’s no secret.
“But it’s not a big step up in performance. I think it’s doing what it’s supposed to do, so it’s not a big jump for us.”
“I think we were probably a little bit more aggressive than maybe other Fridays. So yeah, in general, it’s good to see that the team is trying to think of things and solutions, but you always want them to have more of an impact.”
Aston Martin struggled during the final wet qualifying sessions at Montreal and Silverstone, with Vettel admitting the team will have to give it its all at the Hungaroring on Saturday.
“We’ll see how wet it’s going to be,” he said. “Obviously it would be a shame if it was so wet that we couldn’t race. So fingers crossed. If it’s wet I think we need to improve compared to the last two times we’ve had wet qualifying.”
“So there’s a bit of homework and preparation to do, but for now, I think it’s been a good start to the weekend.”
When asked what the team could do overnight, he said: “I mean the classic rain setup is gone, it’s been a long, long time gone. I probably witnessed its end when I got to the F1 a long time ago.”
“Obviously we’ll try to make the car faster. I think knowing that Sunday will be dry, that’s probably the main objective, but also preparing for Saturday as much as we can, knowing that it’s going to rain.”
Vettel also outlined the target for his first race since announcing his retirement.
“The points. I touched them last week, and I think that’s the goal from now on, to score points in every race,” he concluded.
