Aston Martin: With a license to win 🎥
VETTEL AS HOPE BEARER After a 61-year absence, the Aston Martin brand is back in Formula 1. With Sebastian Vettel spearheading the effort, it will undoubtedly be more successful than it was at the six GPs of 1959/60. On Thursday, March 4, a day after the launch, Stroll and Vettel completed a functional test with the AMR21 at rainy Silverstone. [...]
On Thursday, March 4, one day after the presentation, Stroll and Vettel completed a functional test with the AMR21 in rainy Silverstone.
The racing team previously known as Racing Point now bears the official name Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team. The AMR21, which is painted in British Racing Green, is not a purely new development, but a constant refinement: evolution rather than revolution is therefore the motto.
James Bond sends his regards
Due to Corona, the presentation from the headquarters on Wednesday took place as a video conference. Of course, a certain James Bond was not to be missed.
Thus, probably the most famous Aston Martin service car driver Daniel Craig wished the newly formed team only the best, while the Bond girl Gemma Arterton led through the moderation to the unveiling of the AMR21.
Vettel in a good mood and motivated
Therefore, the positive signs with the license to win are already set, at least in theory. The chances of victory for the Aston Martin AMR21 are not bad at all. After all, it's based on last year's Racing Point model.
The race cars painted pink in the color of the main sponsor were derided as "pink pigs" by die-hard F1 fans, but the RP20 proved to have enormous qualities in addition to its polarizing looks. In the 2020 season, the team, which won for the first time in Sakhir with Sergio Perez, ultimately took fourth place in the constructors' championship - behind and ahead of teams operating with far greater budgets.
Vettel in a good mood and motivated
Sebastian Vettel is correspondingly positive about his new employer's AMR21. His farewell performance at Ferrari in 2020 was exceptionally poor. For him, a 13th-place finish in the world championship standings was the worst result in Formula 1 to date.
But a full professional like the Thurgau native has long since put this behind him during the winter break. Looking at the AMR21, he is in an extremely good mood and motivated to look ahead.
Sebastian Vettel: "Of all the new cars I've seen so far, it's the most beautiful."
Like Stroll, the German was only able to drive the new racer for the first time the day after the presentation. Only the test days and the first Grand Prix in Bahrain on March 28 will show what the AMR21 can ultimately do.
Investors worth billions
Compared to Racing Point, the Aston Martin Formula 1 team at least doesn't have to worry about money. Behind the main sponsor, Cognizant, is a gigantic U.S. IT service provider that actively supports the team with financial resources.
However, Aston Martin has Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll to thank for the fact that the factory entry could be realized at all. The former Racing Point owner has joined the British company as its main investor. That's why, in addition to 33-year-old Vettel, his 22-year-old son Lance Stroll is also allowed to take the wheel at Aston Martin.
Still with Mercedes drive
The factory team is well prepared for its comeback in Formula 1. The Brits have been working on their racer since last summer and have fine-tuned its competitiveness. Although regulations meant that around 50 percent of the components had to be carried over from the previous year, the monocoque and the underbody were completely redesigned.
Just like last year at Racing Point, the AMR21 has a concentrated load of Mercedes power in the rear. Podium finishes are the initial target. But in three to five years at the latest, the British racing team wants to compete for the world championship. We can look forward to that.
