Vettel ‘Suprised’ by Alpine’s Lack of Pace During Spanish GP

The saga of Sebastian Vettel and Aston Martin has been underwhelming so far. Having scored zero points in four races, the German is yet to make a mark on the midfield battle.

The battle for the ‘best of the rest’ was expected to be between McLaren, Ferrari, and Aston Martin. However, Aston Martin are now competing with Alpine F1, who are also a little behind the midfield at the moment. Vettel spoke of their immediate competitors and the current scenario of the midfield battle.

Sebastian Vettel left surprised with Alpine’s race pace

The four-time world champion felt Alpine F1 would’ve been much quicker at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday. After qualifying P5 on Saturday, Esteban Ocon dropped to P9, while Fernando Alonso dropped to P17 after qualifying P10. This performance yielded two different sides of Alpine, which surprised Vettel.

The German said, “I was a bit surprised today with the Alpine, they weren’t very quick in the race. I expected them to be faster, because they were so much faster yesterday.”

Alpine have been quick on Sunday during race weekends before the Spanish Grand Prix, with Ocon and Alonso finishing higher than their starting position. However, Barcelona proved to be a different story.

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The midfield battle is getting tight: Vettel

McLaren and Ferrari are well and truly in the battle for taking third place this season. However, Aston Martin and Alpine F1 can’t be counted out just yet. Vettel believes that finding the extra tenth or two is possible, which can make all the difference in this extremely close fight.

The German said, “I think we see it’s very close. Every weekend is a bit different. And if it’s so tight, maybe if you’ll feel a bit more comfortable, maybe the car suits better to the track, you find an extra one or two tenths.”

The midfield battle will continue in the streets of Monaco. Expect some fireworks on Saturday as the teams vie for track position in qualifying, which is critical in the Monaco Grand Prix. Despite winning here twice, Vettel is far from the front of the grid at the moment, and the Astons might have a tough outing in the Principality.

“But Monaco is always different, so hopefully we can make a difference,” said Vettel.