Aston Martin: Vettel still the 'ultimate professional' as retirement looms

Sebastian Vettel's retirement from Formula 1 is just six races away, but the four-time world champion's commitment to his job with Aston Martin remains that of an "ultimate professional".

Vettel will sail off into the sunset after next November's season finale in Abu Dhabi where the German will bring to a close 16 years of continued presence among motorsport's elite, a tenure in F1 that has delivered 53 wins and four world titles.

Since leaving Ferrari at the end of 2020 and joining Aston, Vettel has enjoyed but a single podium with the Silverstone-based outfit, a second-place finish achieved last year in Azerbaijan.

It's a meager and disappointing track record for which Vettel bears little responsibility. But has the F1 veteran's general attitude towards his job or approach changed since he announced his retirement?

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"He's the ultimate professional really - so I'd say no to that," said Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough.

"Maybe he's a little bit more relaxed in himself, but I wouldn't see that in the engineering office and the way he drives the car.

"Sebastian is a bit of a machine really from a work side of things."

For an ambitious outfit such as Aston Martin, securing the services of a high-profile driver such as Vettel delivered a promise of talent and experience that would only add value to its operations.

In that regard, Vettel clearly fulfilled Aston's expectations.

"Sebastian has been great fun to work with the last 18 months or so," said McCullough. "Very thoughtful and very strong on the engineering side.

"It has brought a lot to the team in how we operate and how we look at things.

"[He has a] Very inquisitive mind, [is] great fun to be with, but also understands lifting the team from a morale side of things really well.

"It's been an utter pleasure with him, and I'm looking forward to the final few races with him."

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