Sebastian Vettel admits that seeing Fernando Alonso's drive to a podium at the Qatar Grand Prix was "great motivation". Alonso put in a strong performance to claim P3 in the race at the Losail International Circuit in November, marking his best result since the 2014 season. With Aston Martin one of several teams in the 2021 midfield battle alongside Alonso's Alpine, Vettel says that it was motivating for him to see one of his rivals achieve such a good result. "I think it's other drivers," Vettel told media including RacingNews365.co m when asked who motivates him the most. "I think it can be other drivers, of past and present. Fernando had a super inspiring and great, great race [in Qatar]. I was really happy for him to see him there, and it's a great motivation to see that. "You give us the right tools and the right moment and we can do our job. I think it's undisputed that Fernando has great qualities, so that can be a motivator."
Inspiration from F1 drivers of the past
As well as being motivated by his current competitors on the grid, Vettel was also inspired by his idol Michael Schumacher when he was in the earlier days of his racing career. "Obviously, when I grew up, it was Michael," the four-time World Champion explained. "So probably it's fair to say, to answer the question, that Michael was my biggest inspiration when it comes to racing, but nowadays, obviously it's different because you see things a bit different. "I don't have posters of Michael in my room anymore! But yeah, like I said, it can be standing out performance like Fernando's weekend [in Qatar] or others." It wasn't just Alonso who visited the podium for the first time in a while in 2021. Vettel also seized an opportunity by taking P2 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in June, marking his first podium with Aston Martin.
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