Vettel: F1 season 'can't get any worse' after nightmare return with Aston Martin

Sebastian Vettel believes his 2022 Formula 1 season “can’t get any worse” after crashing out of Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix on his return to action with Aston Martin.

Having sat out the first two races with COVID-19, Vettel made his first appearance for the Silverstone-based outfit this year in Melbourne.

But the four-time world champion’s hopes of a trouble-free weekend to make up for his lack of milage went out of the window when technical problems halted him on Friday.

Aston Martin changed Vettel’s power unit after his engine troubles, but a crash in FP3 coat him valuable track time and meant he only just made it out for qualifying where he failed to get out of Q1.

Starting the race from 17th, Vettel struggled to make progress early on but was running solidly in the midfield until he lost his car on the exit of Turn 4 and hit the outside barrier nose first, ending his race on Lap 23.

While Vettel felt the crash was a mixture of his limited milage and a poor handing car, the German admitted he was perhaps driving too hard.

“Obviously, I tried to get the best out of the car that I can and with hindsight maybe I was pushing too hard,” Vettel said, as quoted by Motorsport.com. “Once I lost it there was no chance to come back.”

Vettel’s retirement compounded a miserable weekend for Aston Martin, who are now the only team yet to register a points finish in 2022.

Reflecting on a difficult first outing this year, Vettel insists his season can only get better.

“It was more challenging not to have the running, obviously partly because we lost time with the car, and then with the Saturday morning incidents so doesn’t help, but I’m sure it will get better.

“It can’t get any worse,” Vettel said.