When Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement, effective from the end of this season, on the eve of the Hungarian Grand Prix, he probably had no idea that this news would subsequently be dwarfed by the train of events it triggered. Vettel has been considering retirement on and off, he revealed, since 2018. But after not being invited, at the beginning of 2020, by Ferrari to discuss new contract terms for ’21 and beyond and after a woeful final season there, he felt he had a point to prove to himself. Hence his acceptance of Aston Martin’s offer. Although the car has not been as competitive as all involved hoped, Vettel has shown there are days when he can still deliver very strong performances. His podiums last year at Baku and Hungary (at the latter he was disqualified) were each terrific drives.