Disappointing debut at Aston Martin for Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel did not get off to a great start on his debut weekend with Aston Martin. The German driver was massively compromised by a yellow flag in Q1, which forced him to reduce speed at the start of his final flying lap. Vettel didn't improve on his time and was subsequently eliminated in P18.

On a day of contrasting fortunes, his teammate Lance Stroll qualified inside the top-10 for Aston Martin, while Sebastian Vettel was knocked out in P18. Speaking to the media after the Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying session, Vettel looked visibly angry at Mazepin.

The Russian rookie broke Formula 1's "gentleman's agreement" of not overtaking drivers during qualifying. Mazepin overtook the German and started his flying lap before the Aston Martin. The Russian then spun in the first corner, ruining laps for everybody behind him. Vettel thought he could have achieved a lot more if not for the untimely yellow flag.

Lance performed well today. Seb was unlucky.Tomorrow, we fight. Tomorrow, it's race day.#BahrainGP

— Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) March 27, 2021

"It is what it is," the four-time world champion said.

"We'll have to see what we can do tomorrow, but I am still learning. If I panic now, would it help? For sure, I am upset and angry that it wasn't our fault, in a way, not to make it through, but we have to take it and do what we can for the race."

"Certainly, I think there was potential for us to be a lot faster but [I] had the issue obviously with the yellow flags during the lap so that made it impossible to come back," added Sebastian Vettel.

Sebastian Vettel hasn't looked comfortable in the car

A disappointing day but we'll be pushing hard tomorrow. 👊Hear what #SV5 had to say in today's debrief. ⬇️#BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/nJtOi2NAkV

— Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) March 27, 2021

Sebastian Vettel has struggled with the car throughout the weekend. The German has not looked comfortable in the Aston Martin in any of the sessions, suffering from a lack of balance.

Aston Martin, however, proved to be a competitive unit. The team qualified in P10 at the hands of Lance Stroll, suggesting there is pace in the car. For Sebastian Vettel, tomorrow is a new day. Points are only won on Sunday and the German will look to capitalize on Bahrain's notoriety for having safety cars and first lap crashes. The four-time world champion will be looking for anything but a dull race. Chaos and confusion in the paddock during the Bahrain Grand Prix will give Sebastian Vettel the best chance to move up the grid.

The first qualifying session of the Bahrain Grand Prix has already thrown in multiple surprises. We expect the race to be no less.