Mike Krack shockingly reveals why he didn’t bring Sebastian Vettel back to replace injured Lance Stroll for the Bahrain GP
Aston Martin team principal, Mike Krack talks about the decision behind not bringing in Sebastian Vettel for Bahrain 2023 to replace Lance Stroll.
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Mike Krack and Sebastian Vettel
The 2023 Bahrain GP was definitely a thriller but it was missing one main component. Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement from the sport last year and as of 2023, he isn’t part of the F1 grid any more. However, there could have been one last chance where fans could have witnessed the four time world champion race again. Sadly, that plan didn’t come to fruition and Mike Krack has revealed some intriguing details about it.
Sebastian Vettel was replaced at Aston Martin with Fernando Alonso. Nevertheless, while Nando was adjusting with the team ahead of the 2023 F1 season, terror struck. Alonso’s teammate, Lance Stroll got into a bike accident which left him with injuries on the wrist and feet. This in turn ruled him out of pre season testing and showcased doubts about his ability to race in the first round of the season.
While Felipe Drugovich was always present to assist the team in any way, the reserve driver was one of the people being considered. On the other hand, Aston Martin didn’t forget Sebastian Vettel and had actually considered giving him the opportunity. Mike Krack further gave an clarification as to why the Aston Martin team boss didn’t go for the four time world champion.
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Aston Martin didn’t contact Sebastian Vettel to replace Lance Stroll out of respect
When asked in the F1 Nation podcast about the possibility of Aston Martin approaching Sebastian Vettel to replace Stroll, Mike Krack said: “Tempted? Yes, 100%. But we didn’t do it, because we have such a high respect for Sebastian and his decision that he made at the time.
I think it would not have been correct even to ask. We wanted to respect the way he was, and we didn’t want to put him in any difficult position.”
It would have been interesting to see what could have been had both the parties agreed. To see Sebastian Vettel race on the F1 grid again would be what every fan has thought about at least once. Nevertheless, Lance Stroll actually managed to pass the fitness test and raced in Bahrain to achieve an excellent P6 finish. Considering the circumstances, it was a mega effort by the Canadian.
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Varad Joshi
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