Sebastian Vettel heads into his maiden campaign with Aston Martin on the back of some scarring performances in 2020. The ex-Ferrari driver had a torrid time in the cockpit of the SF1000 last year, notching only 33 points from 17 races. There have been questions raised over whether the German can ever recover his form of old. However, Vettel appears to have the backing of rival McLaren team boss, Andreas Seidl.

Seidl believes Vettel’s experience holds him in good stead and backs him to turn things around this year.

He said (translated via Google), “You don’t have to feel sorry for Sebastian. He’s a four-time world champion and very experienced. I think he can put up with the bad luck he probably had because of his experience.”

2021 is shaping up to be an important season for Vettel. He’ll want to avenge his results from last year, and answer his critics. But with a few obstacles in testing, and a super-competitive mid-field during the races, it’ll be quite challenging for Vettel to come out as the best of the rest. He’ll need to start strong, or else the season could unravel pretty quickly.

However, the McLaren team principal reckons Vettel will come out firing on all cylinders right from the opening round on March 28th.

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Seidl expects the British outfit and Vettel to cause his team some headaches. He said, “I assume that Aston Martin will be very competitive with Sebastian from the first race and will be a tough opponent for us.”

Nevertheless, Andreas hopes his team can stay in the reckoning for the third-place battle. Although he acknowledges that behind Mercedes and Red Bull, the order of the chasing pack is hard to decipher, especially considering how all the mid-field teams have strengthened over the winter.

The 2021 F1 season certainly seems to be a mouthwatering prospect. It may well be one of the best and most unpredictable seasons in quite a while. However, it’ll probably be best to reserve judgment until the first race is done and dusted.

Who are you backing to finish in third place this year? Will we see the Vettel of old again? Let us know what you think in the comments below.