RE: 61 years later, an Aston Martin F1 car

RE: 61 years later, an Aston Martin F1 car

Wednesday 3rd March 2021

61 years later, an Aston Martin F1 car

Firm goes all in on its Racing Green challenger ahead of March 28 season opener



Aston Martin Racing Green adorns the panels of a Formula 1 car for the first time in 61 years with the reveal of the AMR21, the British firm’s challenger for the 2021 season – and the car that it hopes will re-establish the manufacturer as a technical innovator on the world stage. This is the car Sebastian Vettel will be hoping to return to form in after his dismal final year at Ferrari, with the four-time champ joining the incumbent Lance Stroll, who enjoyed two podium finishes and a pole position last year when the squad was called Racing Point. As is the case with Alpine and its just-revealed racer, 2021 is to be a stepping stone for Aston into F1’s new technical era, when things should really get going.

In contrast with what’s coming next year, the AMR21 is very much an evolution of the RP20 that Stroll raced in 2020 alongside Sergio Perez, who actually used the car to win the dramatic Sakhir Grand Prix (and has departed to Red Bull). The Aston Martin Cognizant-liveried machine retains its Mercedes-AMG F1 motor, now badged M12 E Performance, and sports a few noticeable aero alterations from the 2020 car. But it’s still recognisable, which ought to give Vettel some confidence, given that the RP20 consistently outperformed him in the Ferrari SF1000.

Vettel, now 33, will likely see his move as an opportunity for a full reset, giving him the chance to utilise his 14 years of F1 experience to maintain momentum in 2021 while helping to develop the best possible entrant for the 2022-2025 era behind the scenes. His teammate, the 22-year-old son of team co-owner and Aston Martin executive chairman Lawrence Stroll, will naturally be bidding to give one of F1’s most successful drivers a real run for his money. Both drivers will be key in forwarding the firm's ambitions for the biggest stage. 

The manufacturer's wider intentions are clear enough, too: a new 200,000 square-foot facility is being built to “complement” the existing Aston Martin F1 factory – inherited from Racing Point – at Silverstone from the second half of 2022. The team is being positioned to become “an innovation lab to drive forward the brand’s future road car technologies”, with investment from Stroll and other key players, including a consortium led by Mercedes-AMG F1 boss Toto Wolff, who bought a 0.95 per cent stake in AM when share prices were at 55p last year. Stroll has previously committed to “position Aston Martin firmly in its sector and complete a range of highly engineered and beautiful sports cars.



“I’ve dreamed about this day for a very long time,” commented the Aston Martin team co-owner. “I’ve always been a car guy and I’ve always loved racing, too. My first dream was to own a Formula One team. My second dream was to acquire a significant shareholding in Aston Martin Lagonda. Today is about the merging of those two dreams. So, as I say, today is all about dreams, and it shows that dreams really can come true, in the shape of our new AMR21.”

CEO Tobias Moers added: “Today is a truly historic moment for Aston Martin, as we return to the pinnacle of motorsport for the first time in more than 60 years. The Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team will have far-reaching positive effects on the Aston Martin brand, our culture, and the design and technology of Aston Martin road cars. Our return to Formula One will positively and profoundly affect every employee and foremost our customer journey all over the world; and will help us bring a focused, agile Formula One way of thinking to the whole Aston Martin business.”

Clearly, F1 remains an important tool for brands like Aston Martin and Alpine. Expect them to be grappling to cling on to the seemingly unstoppable pace of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes-AMG this year, before upping the charge in the new technical era. There’s certainly plenty to look forward to when the season kicks off in Bahrain on March 28th.









Author
Discussion

Its only a V8

Original Poster:

5 posts

106 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
If the car is even half as wooden as the video just shown to reveal the car then they've got no chance!

ManyMotors

628 posts

97 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
Why is AM pursuing Formula 1? They need to be wooing wealthy women with family ready for the best of SUVs. Formula 1 isn't something watched by that target audience and no technology from the series will prevent cereal from getting strewn in the luxury of a DBX. Come on, Larry! Focus!

Sulphur Man

224 posts

132 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
Lance Stroll is driving it. That's how much chance they've got.

Chubbyross

4,537 posts

84 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
Will they somehow be able to shoe horn in James Bond to this as well?

PH User

22,154 posts

107 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
It looks nicer than it did when it was pink!

Volvolover

2,036 posts

40 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
Sulphur Man said:
Lance Stroll is driving it. That's how much chance they've got.
And?

He's a decent driver, if you don't think so i suggest you don't know that much about f1

PH User

22,154 posts

107 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
Volvolover said:
Sulphur Man said:
Lance Stroll is driving it. That's how much chance they've got.
And?

He's a decent driver, if you don't think so i suggest you don't know that much about f1
He an average driver, not the worst but not the best.

LotusOmega375D

7,580 posts

152 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
Let’s hope it’s rather more successful than Aston’s referenced previous foray into F1. I think it was 5 or 6 starts and no points. Not really something to shout about.

carinaman

21,222 posts

171 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
ManyMotors said:
Why is AM pursuing Formula 1? They need to be wooing wealthy women with family ready for the best of SUVs. Formula 1 isn't something watched by that target audience and no technology from the series will prevent cereal from getting strewn in the luxury of a DBX. Come on, Larry! Focus!
Isn't the Drive to Survive programme, Series 3 of which is about to start, widening the F1 audience and getting viewers in the US where many potential purchasers of high end SUVs may live?

HighwayStar

4,216 posts

143 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
LotusOmega375D said:
Let’s hope it’s rather more successful than Aston’s referenced previous foray into F1. I think it was 5 or 6 starts and no points. Not really something to shout about.
If you know the history of the actual F1 team now bearing the Aston Martin name you’d be more clued up than you appear to be.

romac

594 posts

145 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
Yep, does look better than pink, but where is the yellow lipstick? How could they forget that! rolleyes

ArnageWRC

2,050 posts

158 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
One should wish them well, but their natural home isn't F1 - it's the WEC, but this was always on the cards when Stroll turned up.

re33

269 posts

163 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
ManyMotors said:
Why is AM pursuing Formula 1? They need to be wooing wealthy women with family ready for the best of SUVs. Formula 1 isn't something watched by that target audience and no technology from the series will prevent cereal from getting strewn in the luxury of a DBX. Come on, Larry! Focus!
It seems to have worked for Mercedes' sales. The fact the customers don't watch F1 is probably an advantage. Now any Aston Martin customer can be James Bond and Sebastian Vettel.

I wonder how much they were paid to write this article without the words Force India or Jordan in it!

Edited by re33 on Wednesday 3rd March 17:13

virage11

29 posts

91 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
Chubbyross said:
Will they somehow be able to shoe horn in James Bond to this as well?
They did have Daniel Craig take part in the launch event - which was pretty wince-worthy - like watching the Office but with no comedy

PhantomPH

4,043 posts

224 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
That's a couple of articles now that could be condensed to "F1 teams put new stickers on existing car".

As for Stroll Jnr, there are at least 5 drivers who are a LOT better than him who have no seat because their Dad does not own the team. But since Lance's Dad does own the team, we are stuck with his average (in F1 driver terms) talent. Can't knock it, really - wish I could afford to buy my kids an F1 team.

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
Got to hand it to Stroll Snr. he definitely lives his son..

PhantomPH

4,043 posts

224 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
The Aston tie-in is a marketing exercise, so I'm guessing a chunk of that aspect of the company budget can be assigned to the F1 team. However it loses it's credibility as soon as you start asking how much of the car is made by Aston Martin and what tech filters through to the road cars... * whistle *

I'll always remember Eddie Jordan saying, "How do you make a small fortune in Formula 1 - start off with a large one". To that end, Stroll must have convinced the other investors that the marketing spend was worth it or the loss could be written off in tax relief elsewhere on the balance sheet. Who knows...

Wotzname

164 posts

193 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
Chubbyross said:
Will they somehow be able to shoe horn in James Bond to this as well?
Probably a lot quicker than they're able to release NTTD.

Bobby Lee

224 posts

54 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
The car looks brilliant (imo) but that video is completely insane... didn’t get past Tom Brady.

I think it’s great that Stroll has saved Aston Martin and brought them back to F1. Shame about the nepotism and cheating.

LaurasOtherHalf

21,429 posts

195 months

Wednesday 3rd March 2021
quotequote all
I don’t care! It’s British Racing Green and it’s back on the grid.

So we can add that to French racing blue, Italian red and (sort of) the German silver arrows. Brilliant!

(I’d like to see williams take over the BWT branding though as my two daughters like the pink cars smile