Aston Martin team boss balks at Vettel quitting: 'He was really in a flow'

Mike Krack regrets that Sebastian Vettel chose to leave Formula 1 at the end of last season. The Aston Martin team boss was very pleased with the German's performance and was hoping for a longer partnership, he told Motorsport-magazin.com.

While Aston Martin found an excellent replacement with the bringing in of Fernando Alonso, it was a bit of a gulp for Krack when Vettel informed him of the news. Despite his age, Vettel was still getting a lot out of his car, which benefited the British formation.

"He was sharp and was really in a flow," Krack noted. "In the last races, you could see that a car that offers him more motivates him even more. I have to say: hats off! He had a difficult period and often dropped out in Q1, but never let his head hang and always kept supporting the team and Lance (Stroll, ed.)."

Krack is convinced that Vettel still has the level to get results in Formula 1 and secretly hopes for a future return of the four-time world champion. "It's a shame he decided to quit. I hope he regrets it."

The team leader acknowledged that Alonso has a completely different character to Vettel, which means he has to be flexible this season. According to Krack, his job remains to work on the tightness of the formation and make it perform at its best.