Ross Brawn hails the ‘reborn again’ Sebastian Vettel after his podium finish at the Baku City Circuit – labelling him ‘driver of the day’ for the second week in a row.
The two-time world champion began Sunday’s race from P11, but after a chaotic number of incidents and impeccable driving, Vettel managed to land his first podium finish since the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix.
“Seb’s had a tough last couple of seasons”, Brawn said.
“I was one of the people who was uncertain about the decision Aston made in signing him up, but it’s looking to be a great call because of the way he’s driving and the results he’s getting.”
The Formula 1 boss went on to acknowledge the fact “he’s reborn again. He’s refreshed”, and that he has a “different vibe” about him.
“It just shows how the whole psychological aspect can impact performance”, he added.
“Seb has found himself in a much more comfortable place, with the right sort of pressure and with engineers who he is learning to work with. He’s getting results and he deserves it. Bravo.”
The kind words about the Aston Martin driver come just weeks after the Monaco GP saw him land in the points for the first time this season as well.
Following a return to form in Monaco, Brawn said; “I will openly admit I’ve had my doubts about him in recent times and he’s been a bit lacklustre in his final years at Ferrari and then when he joined Aston Martin.
“But in Monaco, Sebastian definitely found his mojo. His performance in the race was very strong and reminded us of what we had come to expect from the four-time world champion.”
The 33-year-old will be looking to bring this latest performance level to round 7 for the French Grand Prix in two weeks’ time, where fans can only hope for more unexpected and nail-biting racing.