Aston Martin chief Mike Krack hopes Sebastian Vettel will regret his decision to retire from Formula 1, having "tasted blood" in his final years racing in the sport.
Vettel's retirement brought to an end a remarkable career which saw the German become world champion four time and win 53 races. All of that title success came with Red Bull, while he added to the victories total during his Ferrari years.
He spent the final two seasons of his time in F1 racing further back on the grid. In 2021 he joined an Aston Martin team with huge ambition – though it is yet to reap the benefits of the significant investment that has been made.
Despite the lack of performance he had in his car, Vettel was still able to produce some admirable results in his final year. He scored points in four of his last six races – the highlight being a sixth-placed finish at his favourite track, Suzuka.
Asked by Motorsport Magazin if the German showed his best form during that period, Krack said: "I think so, he tasted blood. When things went up in Singapore and Suzuka, you could see his joy. When you heard him on the radio, you immediately knew he was there.
"He was sharp, he was really in the flow. You could tell in the last races that a car that gives him more feedback, more performance, motivates him even more.
"I have to say, hats off! He had a difficult time, often dropped out in Q1, but he never let his head down and always continued to support the team and Lance [Stroll]. That was very exemplary. I'm glad he's where he is – but it's a shame he decided to quit. I hope he regrets it."
Krack has another former champion at his disposal this year after signing Fernando Alonso to replace Vettel. The Spaniard is known for being a tricky character to keep happy at times, but the team boss said he was confident he will be able to avoid any intra-team conflict.
He added: "It is important for me to integrate Fernando there, that he is also a part of the team. We are not opponents. Being part of the team also means being open and transparent with everything that's there. We deal with it openly and transparently.
"If we can't do things, we tell him. If we decide we're going to do things that way, we tell him openly and honestly and give reasons why. I think as long as we do it that way, there won't be any problems."
