Aston Martin to field updated AMR21 for Vettel in Barcelona

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Sebastian Vettel's AMR21 will recieve in Barcelona this week the same aero upgrades enjoyed by Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll last weekend at Portimão.

Stroll was awarded the latest developments in priority given his tally of points in the Drivers' standings relative to Vettel.

Although the German outpaced the Canadian in qualifying and on race day, for the first time this season, Aston Martin Performance Engineering Director Tom McCullogh says the result did not imply that Stroll's updated car offered less performance, on the contrary.

"In the race Sebastian slipped from his P10 grid slot to a P13 finish, while Lance climbed from his P17 grid slot to a P14 finish," explained the Aston engineer.

"You do not have to be a skilled mathematician to realise that their race performances were opposites, and the reason for that is that.

©AstonMartin

"Without aero updates, Sebastian was unable to stay ahead of three cars that had qualified behind him, while, with aero updates, Lance was able to move ahead of three cars that had qualified ahead of him.

"The post-race analysis we have done duly showed that Lance was able to access greater race pace than Sebastian was, the result of the aero updates uniquely fitted to his car, which he used to good effect."

Read also - Webber: 'People think I enjoy watching Vettel suffer'

Vettel says he is eager to sample the updates this weekend at Barcelona's high-grip Circuit de Catalunya.

"This weekend, I’ll have the upgrade Lance used in Portugal – which he felt was promising – so I’m looking forward to experiencing it for myself.

"Looking at the last race, it’s clear that we have better race pace than single-lap performance, so we’ll be looking to make improvements on Saturday to give us the best chance of points on Sunday.

"We all know Sunday afternoons at Barcelona can be tricky for overtaking, so it’s important that we maximise our opportunities where we can."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.