Australian Grand Prix boss calls f1 drivers out for complaining while Sebastian Vettel told he should retire

F1 drivers that said racing in Australia was “too painful’ have been told to stop whingeing after the race recorded the biggest ever crowd to an F1 event.

Formula One drivers that complained about the timing of the Australian Grand Prix have been told to stop whingeing after the race recorded the biggest ever crowd to an F1 event.

Last week Sergio Perez and George Russell were among the drivers calling the trip to Australia “painful” given the travel time, jetlag and the fact the race was not scheduled as a curtain raiser to the 2022 season.

Having already raced in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain before a week’s break, the Aus GP meant a near 30,000km round trip for driver who now have just over a week before racing in Imola, Italy.

But amid the noise and fuss, Aus GP boss Andrew Westacott has told them they will just have to suck it up.

“We’ve proven that we can have success both opening the season and coming in after a couple of races,” Westacott told Reuters.

“The time for Formula One in Australia is early in the season.

“The drivers have got to stop whingeing in some respects.”

It remains to be seen why Australia lost its billing as the first race given the 420,000-strong crowd the weekend attracted.

When compared to the empty stands in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, the decision appears somewhat nonsensical.

“I think Melbourne here as the season-opener was really cool because everybody came up here early and there was a lot of excitement and anticipation,” Russell said.

“But I think having Melbourne in between races, especially as a stand-alone, is too tough for the teams and everybody.

“People came out on Saturdays and Sundays to get acclimatised to the conditions, to the time zone change and it is just too much.

“I think it needs to be thought about more. There is no reason we couldn’t do a back-to-back with one of the Middle Eastern races. But it feels like another double-header for all the teams with the amount of time they spend in this part of the world.”

In the lead up to the race, Perez, who finished on the podium at Albert Park, said: “As the season is getting longer and longer, we need to get a better balance.

“It works well at the moment because we are doing the winter testing in Bahrain, it makes sense to stay there.

“But it really has to be back-to-back with one of those races because just coming to Australia for a single race is quite painful for everyone.”

F1 CHAMP TOLD TO RETIRE AFTER HORROR AUS GP

Sebastian Vettel has been told he should retire in the wake of his disastrous weekend at the Australian Grand Prix.

Having missed the first two races of the 2022 season after contracting Covid, the Aston Martin driver endured a weekend to forget at Albert Park, managing only a handful of practice laps on the new track before engine issues forced him back to the garage.

He then crashed out in the third session and only made it back on track for qualifying by the fortune of a red flag gifting his engineers additional time to fix the car.

Things did not improve on race day with the four-time world champion losing control of his car on lap 23 and crashing out on turn four.

Between Vettel and his Canadian teammate Lance Stroll, Aston Martin had a total of four crashes across the Grand Prix weekend.

It was miserable.

“He (Vettel) was unlucky to have missed two grands prix because of Covid,” said ex Formula One boss Giancarlo Minardi.

“But he should retire. He has a lot of money, he has won titles and he will never win again.”

Vettel looked a long way from his best in Australia and his frustrations were evident as he struggled to find explanations for the under performing car.

Aston Martin's German driver Sebastian Vettel attempts to drive on after a crash

Vettel was fined for entering the track without permission after his car caught fire in FP1.

His Aston Martin boss Mike Krack had more faith.

“Everything is fine with Seb,” he said. “The fact that a driver like him, a four-time world champion, has so many problems over a weekend has little to do with his driving performance.”

Many expected Vettel to walk away from F1 after his contract with Ferrari came to an end.

Some drivers thrive with the challenge when they move further back up the grid. Others wilt.

Vettel’s compatriot Timo Glock said he was a ticking timebomb.

“I can imagine that Sebastian Vettel will lose his patience at some point because he knows very well how long it takes to get out of a hole like this,” he said.

The Australian race was won by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who shared the podium with Sergio Perez of Red Bull and George Russell of Mercedes.

F1 returns on April 22-24 at Imola for the fourth race of the season.

Originally published as Australian Grand Prix boss calls f1 drivers out for complaining while Sebastian Vettel told he should retire