Vettel eager 'to get the ball rolling' for points at Spa

©AstonMartin

Sebastian Vettel heads to Belgium determined "to get the ball rolling" to put points on the board after his unlucky disqualification from the Hungarian Grand Prix just before F1's summer break.

The Aston Martin driver finished runner-up on the road to surprise winner Esteban Ocon at the Hungaroring, but his team's inability to extract the required 1.0-litre fuel sample from the tanks of its AMR21 after the race unfortunately led to the German driver's exclusion from the results.

Aston Martin team boss Otmar Szafnaur is targeting fifth place in the Constructors' standings, so a consistent performance among the top ten in F1's compressed back half of the season will be necessary to realise that objective.

"It is a very busy end to the season with several triple-headers, so momentum is going to be key to the midfield fight," said Vettel ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.

"We want to be scoring good points in Spa-Francorchamps to really get the ball rolling and to put pressure on the teams ahead."

A three-time winner at Spa-Francorchamps, Vettel is unsurprisingly looking forward to racing on the daunting Ardennes track.

"I think every driver on the grid enjoys racing at Spa and it is definitely one of my favourite places to drive a Formula 1 car because of the layout and the special combination of corners.

"I have great memories of Spa, having won here in 2011, 2013 and 2018, so I can't wait to get back on track."

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This weekend's round is a home race of sorts for Vettel's teammate Lance Stroll whose mother, Claire-Anne, is Belgian.

Early on in his career in F1, the Canadian claimed to not being a big fan of the legendary Belgian venue, but over the year's the 22-year-old has changed his opinion, insisting that "anything can happen" at Spa.

"It has been nice to have a break and come back with maximum focus and determination for the second half of the year," he said?

"Spa is always a home race of sorts for me because of my Belgian heritage. It is one of my favourite Grands Prix of the year, anything can happen in Spa!"

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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.