Former F1 Driver Believes Sebastian Vettel Has a Contract Clause to Stop Aston Martin From Favoring Stroll

Aston Martin/Racing Point zealously await the arrival of the 4-time World Champion, Sebastian Vettel, on their side of the paddock. It is quite obvious that Vettel, too, shares the same feeling.

However, former F1 driver, Nick Heidfeld, warned the German of the problems he might face competing against the “team owner’s son.”

Heidfeld felt that somewhere down the line, if not in the foreseeable future, Vettel might face a similar situation as Sergio Perez is facing at the moment. “A special constellation at Aston Martin is of course very problematic for Sebastian,” he told SkySport F1.

“If your teammate is also the team owner’s son, you have to be extremely careful. It is very likely that the son will be favoured by the owner. Perez has already complained that he will only get an update when the spare parts for Lance are ready.”

At the Tuscan Grand Prix, Stroll crashed out the race, damaging his car that had the updates on it. Hence, Stroll was fitted with the new parts that Perez was supposed to be getting for the following weekend, as the Mexican was forced to wait for yet another weekend.

Sebastian Vettel is not that naïve: Heidfeld

Heidfeld, though, felt that Vettel is smart enough to evade such an ordeal before it’s too late. “I’m sure that Sebastian has taken precautions and has a clause in the contract that guarantees him he is at least equal.

“Anything else would surprise me or even be crazy. Sebastian won’t be that naïve,” he added.

Heidfeld is confident that the change of environment will certainly help Vettel get rid of his misfortunes. “I believe the team change can make a big difference,” he said.

“A lot has been written about the Ferrari being extremely difficult to drive. The current Racing Point is more like Mercedes to drive, with more grip, on the rear axle. That will probably suit Sebastian a lot better.”

The German will look to get rid of all the disappointments with Ferrari and start afresh with a team that is growing rapidly in terms of confidence.

It is all up to how Vettel starts his year with the Aston Martin. If he manages to rekindle his old form with the team, he is most likely going to be unstoppable.

(The quotes are translated from German using Google Translate)