The 2022 Formula 1 season is right around the corner, and just about every team has finalized their driver lineups. The latest to the party is Aston Martin F1, which just announced that they will be keeping Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll for 2022.
Going into the new regulations, it’s important to have as much stability within the team as possible, which is likely the reason why Aston chose to keep the same two drivers. It also doesn’t hurt that the duo of experience and youth makes for a very solid driver pairing either.
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Vettel was signed on a “one-plus-one” contract, meaning his drive for 2022 has been subject to change from the get-go. Thankfully nothing did change, and on his retention at the team, he said:
“I am really looking forward to racing the new generation of Formula One cars. Their look is very different and the new technical regulations should give us cars that can race much more closely than recently. More exciting racing will be great for the drivers as well as for the fans. The changes are so big that every team will be starting from a new beginning, so it will be a great opportunity for us at Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team. I believe in the strength of our new growing team, so I am already looking forward to 2022.”
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Given that Stroll’s father owns the team, his future at Aston Martin was all but confirmed. Nevertheless, he was still excited to be re-signed, saying:
“Next season I will be embarking on my sixth year in Formula One, alongside my team-mate Sebastian. We started this Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team campaign together and I greatly look forward to continuing the journey with him next year. We have not achieved what we set out to do this year, but that has only amplified our hunger and drive for success next season. Now, with the prestige and support of Aston Martin, and the brilliant new sponsor-partners that such a prestigious brand has attracted, we are well positioned to improve our performance in 2022.”
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With Aston Martin being the last team to confirm their full lineup for (or have existing contracts in place through) 2022, that just leaves just one spot on the grid still open: the second Alfa Romeo seat alongside Valtteri Bottas. The favorite at this point looks to be Formula 2 driver Guanyu Zhou, who brings with him a considerable amount of talent and sponsorship money.
However, Alfa could also elect to sign F2 drivers Theo Pourchaire or Oscar Piastri, bring on Mercedes Formula E driver Nyck De Vries, or simply re-sign current seatholder Antonio Giovinazzi. At this point only time will tell, but all signs point to an announcement coming before the end of the current season.