Jordan on Vettel transfer: 'That choice is partly because of Mercedes'
- GPblog.com
After six years driving for Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel has now been forced to leave the team for Aston Martin. According to Eddie Jordan this switch is also partly due to Mercedes.
Before the season had even started in 2020 Sebastian Vettel was told that there would be no place for him at Ferrari next season. The ensuing big game of musical chairs left many options open for the German, but he has finally found a place at Aston Martin F1.
According to Eddie Jordan, it is no mystery why the team chose Vettel. "The team chose Vettel because of the knowledge he has as a four-time world champion. I can speak from experience. When Damon Hill came to my team, he wasn't necessarily the fastest driver, but he was extremely knowledgeable, extremely talented and had the ability to share that knowledge with us to build a better car," the Irishman told The Race.
"I think that's where Vettel is going to be very strong. And I think then also the team will be a lot stronger as a result."
Finally driving a Mercedes
The move to Aston Martin F1 was of course forced by his dismissal from Ferrari, but according to Jordan, Vettel has also chosen his new team very deliberately. "There is no doubt that Vettel was tempted to come to the team because of Mercedes," continued the former team boss.
"It is not Mercedes' factory team, but the company is heavily involved in Aston Martin F1. No doubt they would have wanted Vettel to be part of it, that's for sure." According to Jordan, Vettel would like nothing more than to finally get to work on the engine of his biggest rival. Whether it will be enough to win races again remains to be seen.