Reuters
Formula One F1 – Mexico Grand Prix – Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico – November 5, 2021 Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel during practice REUTERS/Edgard Garrido
Reuters
Formula One F1 – Mexico Grand Prix – Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico – November 5, 2021 Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel during practice REUTERS/Edgard Garrido
The Mexican GP weekend is underway, and the first day did not go drama-free. With gearbox issues and the dusty track at the Autodrom, drivers found it difficult to have a smooth start to their weekend. Providing comic relief in the mess was Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel; the champion made a surprise visit to McLaren mid-session.
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As Vettel came to the pit lane, he slowed down at the McLaren pits before realizing where he was. What brought out a chuckle was Seb‘s excuse for stopping at the wrong garage. “Sorry for that I wasn’t looking. Jamie is looking so good today! Maybe it was that. Look how handsome he is!”
While Twitter fans had their moment from the hilarious radio exchange, the official admins of the F1 teams brought their A-game.
F1 teams react to Sebastian Vettel
This isn’t the first time a champion has pitted for the wrong team. In fact, Jenson Button was the first to pull Vettel’s leg. Sitting in the commentary box, Button’s first response was: “Oh, I’ve done that!”
— Jenson Button (@JensonButton) November 5, 2021
Referring to his moment in China in 2011, Button stopped his McLaren at the Red Bull stop. This is probably because, in the previous season, McLaren was the first team in the order, a spot now taken by Red Bull. Accustomed to stopping at the first pit box, Button left the Red Bull engineers confused.
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Further, Lewis Hamilton made a similar error at the 2013 Malaysian GP. Nostalgic for his previous team, Hamilton pitted at McLaren! Having just shifted to Mercedes, it was customary for Hamilton to stop at the McLaren pit stop. “I don’t know how that happened. The teams look so similar. I have been stopping in that pit box for years.”
The Twitter admins had these incidents ready in their ammunition. Soon, the references fired across the platform.
You can't pit there, sir 😶 pic.twitter.com/w275LwqnwF
— Red Bull Racing Honda (@redbullracing) November 5, 2021
Sensing a common theme with McLaren here; must be the welcoming Papaya pit crew! Whatever the magic is, it looks like Aston Martin wouldn’t mind another visit.
10/10, would come again.
— Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) November 5, 2021
As teams sort out their pitlane order, there’s a massive Saturday ahead of them. With the clock ticking on the qualifying session, it remains unsure who has the upper hand. The first two practice sessions had differing timesheets; now, only FP3 can give us the clues we need.
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