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2021 Formula 1 World Championship
Round 12
Belgian Grand Prix
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot
29 August 2021
Aston Martin and lead driver Sebastian Vettel will look to bounce back from bitter disappointment when the
2021 Formula 1 World Championship hosts Round 12, the Belgian Grand Prix, at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot on Sunday 29 August.
Vettel seemed to have claimed an upset podium when he came home in third place in the last round at Hungary, but his Aston Martin was later disqualified when the FIA could not extract a large enough sample of fuel for testing. This saw Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz promoted to third.
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Aston Martin initially appealed against the disqualification, but then withdrew this, noting that their u-turn was “on the basis that we believe doing so outweighs the benefits of it being heard”.
While the DQ was a painful one, and leaves Vettel down in 12
th on the Drivers’ Championship standings (with Aston in seventh in Constructors terms), there were nonetheless promising signs of progress for the British team, which they will be looking to build on when the campaign resumes in Belgium.
One of the major driving forces for Aston has been Vettel himself, with team boss Otmar Szafnauer noting that the veteran German’s work ethic is rubbing off on teammate Lance Stroll: “Seb brings a mentality that he already had when he won all those races and World Championships.
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“He leaves no stone unturned in the way he goes into the weekend and what he asks of us. That goes for both sides of the garage. Lance and his team have learned from Seb, and that has helped us move forward.”
Szafnauer added, “Seb is brilliant. He came to us with the idea that he wanted to enjoy racing again. I often talk to him and I think he is enjoying racing again, which is great.”
Vettel is a three-time winner of the Belgian GP, claiming victory in 2011 and 2013 with Red Bull and in 2018 with Ferrari.
2021 F1 World Championship standings: Drivers, top 5
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), 195 points
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing-Honda), 187
3. Lando Norris (McLaren-Mercedes), 113
4. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes), 108
5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull Racing-Honda), 104
2021 F1 World Championship standings: Constructors, top 5
1. Mercedes, 303 points
2. Red Bull Racing-Honda, 291
3. Ferrari, 163
4. McLaren-Mercedes, 163
5. Alpine-Renault, 77
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