Otmar Szafnauer: 'I don't think Seb has forgotten how to drive'
Tuesday, 10 November 2020
The Racing Point CEO and team principal joined this week's podcast.
The Australian Grand Prix Corporation podcast In the Fast Lane has released this week’s episode with Racing Point CEO and team principal Otmar Szafnauer.
Szafnauer joined In the Fast Lane co-hosts Matt Clayton and Michael Lamonato to discuss his team's impressive season and the impact Sebastian Vettel will have on Aston Martin in 2021.
“Seb is 33 years old and we mustn’t forget at 33, people or drivers are not past the peak of their ability to drive Formula 1® cars, they’re probably at their peak or even climbing,” said Szafnauer.
“I don’t think Seb has forgotten how to drive a Formula 1® car fast, he is a four-time world champion, he has a great work ethic and he’ll bring with him the experience of what it takes to become a world champion team as well as a world championship driver so that we look forward to learning from him,” he continued.
Szafnauer went on to share his thoughts on Vettel’s performance at Ferrari and how he believes it is strongly linked back to mindset and pressure.
“As far as Seb not having beaten his teammate at Ferrari, apart from the physical bit of driving a Formula 1® car, it is an immensely mental sport and the ability to drive fast, you know, 99 percent of it comes from your mind,” Szafnauer said.
“So if we can get him into the right mindset, with the way we work and the way we work with our drivers and having less pressure than you have at Ferrari and we can get him back to the level we know he is capable of driving, I think we’ll have a great combination in a young and up-and-coming driver with immense talent that can learn from a four-time world champion.”
The podcast is available on Spotify, Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts platforms.
