Lawrence Stroll says that Aston Martin “made it clear” that it wanted Sebastian Vettel to continue into 2023, following the German’s retirement announcement on Thursday.
Vettel announced ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix that he will retire from Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season, bringing a highly successful career to a close.
Vettel joined Aston Martin on a multi-year deal ahead of the 2021 season and Stroll outlined that the squad wanted the German to remain.
“I want to thank Sebastian from the bottom of my heart for the great work that he has done for Aston Martin over the past year and a half,” said Stroll.
“We made it clear to him that we wanted him to continue with us next year, but in the end he has done what he feels is right for himself and his family, and of course we respect that.
“He has driven some fantastic races for us, and, behind the scenes, his experience and expertise with our engineers have been extremely valuable.
“He is one of the all-time greats of Formula 1, and it has been a privilege to have been able to work with him.
“He will continue to race for us up to and including the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will be his 300th Grand Prix entry. We will give him a fabulous send-off.”
Aston Martin boss Mike Krack also paid tribute to his compatriot.
“Sebastian is a superb driver – fast, intelligent and strategic – and of course we are going to miss those qualities,” said Krack.
“However, we have all learned from him, and the knowledge that we have gained from working with him will continue to benefit our team long after his departure.
“When we become fully competitive – and we will – one of the architects of that future success will be Sebastian, and we will always be grateful to him for that.”
