Sebastian Vettel's retirement at the end of the season now opens a race for the German's seat at Aston Martin. The team has not yet pronounced itself on the driver market, but it is understood that there are at least six candidates for the four-time champion's position
Sebastian Vettel's decision to leave the Formula 1 track after the end of the 2022 season has now opened a series of speculations about who will be chosen to take over the German's position at Aston Martin starting next year. It is understood that Lance Stroll will continue at the team owned by his father, Lawrence. So it remains to be seen who will complete the garages of the iconic British marque in 2023.
The case is that the British team still seemed to be working for a new Vettel tie-up. So much so that last week Seb stated that there was "clear intention to continue" in F1 and renew with Aston Martin. The green squad itself, through boss Mike Krack, had previously said that it hoped to "count on Vettel for a long time." So, although team and driver have treated the subject as a possibility in recent months, the German's retirement will promote a change of direction in the team.
And at this moment, there are at least six names associated with a possible deal, which, consequently, will also affect other teams on the grid. But the first natural candidate is Nico Hülkenberg. The German is the reserve driver for Aston Martin and replaced Vettel at the beginning of the season when the four-time champion was diagnosed with Covid-19.
Hülkenberg has also played for Force India as a starter between 2011 and 2012, and later between 2014 and 2016. Later, when the team changed to Racing Point, Nico was called up to take the place of Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll in 2020, on the occasions when both contracted the new coronavirus.
However, there is a more valuable alternative: Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard is understood to be in negotiations for two more years with Alpine, which has not yet decided what to do with rookie Oscar Piastri. An eventual exit of Alonso would open the door for the young Australian and would solve, in a way, the life of both teams.
The Asturian, meanwhile, has already been targeted by Lawrence Stroll - even Vettel's signing. And he would be a stellar acquisition for the green squad, due to the enormous experience and development potential.
On the other hand, there are paths that lead to younger drivers. The first case would be that of Mick Schumacher. Vettel's pupil, the German has been gaining the spotlight with his recent performances with Haas, but is still without a new contract. The only caveat would be the following: in case of an agreement with Aston Martin, Schumacher would leave the Ferrari program and would have to recalculate his route. However, it is still a good option.
Still in this line of youngsters, it is necessary to highlight Piastri. Despite his connection with Alpine, last year's Formula 2 champion has always had his name mentioned in F1. Besides the French team itself, Oscar has already made headlines in a possible association with McLaren and Williams.
And another champion, 2020 FE champion Nyck de Vries can also be put on that list. The Dutchman is always on the radar of the F1 paddock and his ties with Mercedes could strengthen an eventual deal. The driver drove in place of Lewis Hamilton in TL1 at Paul Ricard and didn't disappoint, and also featured for Williams.
Finally, there is still Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian has another year left on his contract with McLaren, but his limp performance in 2022 puts him in a position of doubt. Although both the team and the driver have said that the link will continue, the speculation does not stop, especially in view of the row of competitors that the British squad has in its garages.