BEVERLY HILLS, March 04 (THEWILL) – Returning Formula 1 racing unit Aston Martin turned on the style at Tuesday’s launch of its new F1 car for the 2021 season. Not only did they hire Bond Girl Gemma Arterton, the English actress, activist and film producer, to host an event at the launch, they also made sure to have Agent 007 himself, aka Daniel Craig, make an appearance to the excitement of everyone.
The car itself, called the AMR21, will join the circuit with the slightly awkwardly named Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team in the season starting with the first race in Bahrain later this month. With the car, Aston Martin returns after a huge 61-year absence from F1.
To turbocharge their AMR21, the racing unit decided to go with the Mercedes-AMG F1 M12 E Performance engine featuring hybrid energy recovery. By a careful process of engineering evolution, last year’s Racing Point car, the RP20, was transformed into the AMR21, with the team having been rebranded in January, as reported by THEWILL.
It was Lawrence Stroll, Canadian businessman and owner of Racing Point, who triggered the switch and brought about the return of Aston Martin to the racing circuit, when he bought a 16.7 per cent stake in Aston Martin for £182 million ($253 million).
About the new direction, which the new car ultimately signifies, Stroll said: “I’ve dreamed about this day for a very long time. 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.”
Another aspect of the Aston Martin competition for 2021 is that Stroll is also the father of the team’s drivers, Lance Stroll, who was paired up with Sergio Pérez last time out, but buddies up with former F1 Champion Sebastian Vettel for the 2021 season. The German spent the last six years at Ferrari, where he was unable to build on the four Championships he won while at Red Bull Racing throughout.
In the colours of Aston Martin, Vettel will get his first taste of the AMR21 at a shakedown test at Silverstone this Thursday, but Aston is honest about its chances of glory with this debut return.
Andrew Green, Aston Martin’s F1’s Technical Director, set the tone bluntly: “Let’s be realistic, we’ve got big ambitions, but we’re going to be fighting against the mid-field and working on closing the gap on the top three and moving forward.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
