Sebastian Vettel inspired staff at Aston Martin to "lift their game", according to one of the team's top bosses who detailed the influence the German had over his colleagues.
Compared to the rest of his Formula 1 career, Vettel's two seasons with the Silverstone-based team were modest. It yielded just the one podium finish, in Baku last year – though it would have been two had he not been disqualified in Hungary over a fuel issue.
Of course, many F1 drivers still dream of a podium, but this was a man so used to fighting for championships. But despite racing further back in the order than he would have been used to – or would have liked – Vettel still approached everything with the utmost professionalism and a desire to improve.
That's according to Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough, who heaped praise upon the German as he bowed out of the sport at the end of the season. "He's had a big impact on our team," he declared, as quoted by F1's official website.
"He came from two big teams with the experience of winning races, winning championships, so he brought a lot of knowledge to our team, on a lot of small details – how to operate and how to develop the car, and what actually is important.
"The driver is one of the best sensors. We've got some very good tools and software, but the driver input is key. He's very motivational, a lovely human being. He pushes everyone in every area, and he's helped us lift our game.
"Unfortunately, we've not quite given him a car good enough for him to challenge further up the grid, but we've definitely learned a lot from him and improved. I think, hopefully, in the next few years, we're going to see the results of that."
That input from the four-time world champion will be vital to a team with such lofty ambitions. Aston Martin have previously expressed their desire to be in title contention by 2025, but have finished P7 in the last two seasons and still have some way to go if they are to come close to that target.
McCullough added: "We brought a lot of new people in and they are working well within the team and we're on a path, we're all developing the same way. We know where the limitations are, we know what we've got to do. It's just a matter of getting heads down and pulling the team together, as we grow, to try to continue to develop and produce a better car next year."
