The debate continues over whether Sebastian Vettel is the right man to lead Racing Point into its new era as Aston Martin from 2021.
If recent speculation is to be believed, team owner Lawrence Stroll has already reached his decision over whether to sign the current Ferrari driver and trigger and exit clause in the contract of Sergio Perez.
There was even some talk of an announcement coming at some point over the next two weekends at Silverstone, where Racing Point’s factory is located.
However, with nothing yet confirmed, opinions are still being aired including Eddie Jordan, the man who founded the original Jordan team that has since become Racing Point.
“Of course you’d love [Vettel] in the car,” the Irishman told the F1 Nation podcast.
“I got my best results if you like, my first ever win was with Damon Hill, and he was bordering on retiring age…
“So for sure, four times world champion, Vettel is a huge prize for any team. But would you destroy the team that has Sergio, plus income, plus money, and a good rhythm inside the team?”
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As well as the current stability Racing Point has, Jordan also wonders if Seb still has it at the age of 33.
“Can he rekindle a kind of sparkle and a fire and the enthusiasm and the charisma that he had? It’s going to be difficult at his age,” he suggested.
“Would I employ him? Probably not, because I think there’s far, far too many young kids coming through.
“One year ago, very few people would have given much credibility to the fact that Charles Leclerc would have completely destroyed him in many respects in his first year, but yet he did, and Charles will go on, probably, to be number one at Ferrari for a considerable time.
“Are you telling me, in a similar car that [Vettel] could fight toe-to-toe with Lewis Hamilton?
“At the moment, psychologically, he can’t even do that with Charles Leclerc. Can he do it with Lewis? I don’t think so, and that is the way that I would look at it if I was the boss of the team.”
On the other hand, however, former F1 driver Nick Heidfeld argues Vettel’s experience would be valuable to a team trying to one day become F1 champions.
“In the medium term, Aston Martin can be a good option for him, also because of the Mercedes engine that would fit mutually, but especially for the team,” he wrote for Sky Deutschland.
“Sebastian would be a big help. Not just from the driver’s perspective, but above all because of his knowledge. He is a four-time world champion!
“He knows how world championship teams work – and don’t work. He drove at Red Bull and Ferrari. Sebastian can undoubtedly make the difference for any team with ambitions.
“If you look at the current performance compared to the Ferrari, it would be an improvement at Aston Martin,” the German added. “Probably at least in the short term.”
Commenting on Vettel’s plight, however, Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo, who knows what it is like to stay a step back for a new challenge, offered these words of advice.
“For Seb, in his situation, he has had pretty much his whole career in the sport running at the front,” the Australian said of his former Red Bull teammate.
“I would say that probably every year he has contested in F1 he has been on the podium, if not won.
“If it is the case that he goes into a midfield team, it is foreign territory for him.
“It requires a bit more of an open mind and some patience, but that is up to him and where he sees the next chapter of his career.”