Vettel: There's a lot to play for, that's F1 at its best

The German is in his second season with Aston Martin, still spearheading the team's efforts to become F1 contenders, as the sport enters the "Ground Effect" era in 2022 with totally redesigned cars intended to race better at closer proximities.

"These new Formula One cars are so incredibly different to their predecessors," Vettel said in a team statement previewing the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix, having previously said the cars feel a bit "lazier" to drive.

"We've spent the past weeks learning as much about them as we can and I'm looking to racing a ground-effect car for the first time this weekend," he revealed.

"Everything is new in Formula One and I think we're looking at a very tight battle, and some very close gaps, between all the teams. There's a lot to play for – and that's F1 at its best," the quadruple F1 Champion concluded.

Aston Martin have had an under-the-radar pre-season this year, with pundits wondering how good or bad their AMR22 is, something that can be deduced from what Lance Stroll had to say.

"We may have just finished testing in Bahrain, but this weekend is a real step into the unknown, which is so exciting," Stroll said in the team's press release.

"I can't wait to jump into the AMR22 and begin to find out where we are relative to the other teams. We'll be learning every lap of the season and I'm expecting an intense development race this year.

"For a driver, it's awesome to play your part in such a big season of change," the Canadian concluded.

Aston Martin had a tough season in 2021 suffering from floor regulations that hurt the Mercedes-inspired low rake concept adopted on their AMR21 F1 car. It remains to be seen of the team can bounce back this year, keeping in mind the great ambitions team owner Lawrence Stroll has for the team, prompting him to pump major investments into it.