Formula 1 United States GP
Vettel to get US GP grid drop as Aston Martin changes F1 engine
Sebastian Vettel is braced for a challenging Formula 1 United States Grand Prix after revealing Aston Martin has changed the engine on his car for the race weekend.
Luke Smith
Edited: Oct 23, 2021, 7:14 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Drivers are permitted to use three internal combustion engines per season on their cars, but a number of them have already triggered grid penalties by exceeding the allocation in the 22-race season.
Valtteri Bottas took grid drops for Mercedes in both Italy and Russia, while teammate Lewis Hamilton dropped 10 places on the grid in Turkey after his own change as Mercedes manages an engines issue.
Vettel has scored points in just one of the last nine races, and struggled to 18th place in Turkey last time out after a switch to slicks backfired in damp conditions.
But the Aston Martin driver is braced for another tricky grand prix at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin after revealing the team would be changing his Mercedes power unit.
“I think we are heading into, let’s say, a difficult weekend,” said Vettel, who suffered an engine failure in FP1 at Zandvoort last month. “We are changing the engine and therefore we will have a penalty.
“We will see what we can do from where we start, and nevertheless, looking forward. I think we can be strong here. How strong? We will see.”
Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Vettel felt that the overtaking opportunities at the track meant that it was a “good place” to take the penalty, adding: “Hopefully we'll have an entertaining Sunday afternoon and get back in the mix.”
Although he is resigned to a start at the rear of the grid, the four-time F1 world champion has only qualified higher than P8 once this season.
One of the challenges drivers will face this weekend in Austin are the bumps on the circuit which prompted a number of MotoGP riders to air concerns at the recent race.
Vettel felt that bumps “generally add character to a circuit”, and doubted they would be as bad for the F1 cars as it was for the MotoGP bikes.
“A couple of years ago, it was quite bad, and they grinded the bumps down,” Vettel said. “So maybe in the future, they need to look into it. But I don't know, we'll see what we get out there.
“I think a couple of weeks ago when MotoGP was here it was quite bad. For us, it's not as bad as for them. But we will see. Generally, I'm a fan of bumps.”
Read Also:
- Leclerc: Travel exemption mix-up led to New York detour before US GP
- F1 drivers welcome double yellow lap deletions
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article F1 "not even thinking" about having sprint races at every GP
Next article Sainz: "Quite different" feeling of 2022 F1 cars an open secret among drivers
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Luke Smith
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
Formula 1
Formula 1
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Formula 1
Formula 1
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Formula 1
Formula 1
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
More from
Sebastian Vettel
Why Daniel Ricciardo would consider a comeback at Le Mans
WEC
WEC
Why Daniel Ricciardo would consider a comeback at Le Mans
Sebastian Vettel reveals why BMW didn't want him – but Red Bull did
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sebastian Vettel reveals why BMW didn't want him – but Red Bull did
Latest news
Jeff Burton and Dale Jarrett blast Carson Hocevar: "That's not racing"
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Martinsville II
4 min
Jeff Burton and Dale Jarrett blast Carson Hocevar: "That's not racing"
Kimi Antonelli reveals why he won’t take number 1 for the 2027 F1 season
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
36 min
Kimi Antonelli reveals why he won’t take number 1 for the 2027 F1 season
Who slept best last night: Kimi Antonelli
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
1 h
Who slept best last night: Kimi Antonelli
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe