Aston Martin reveals its first Formula One car in over 60 years with striking British racing green livery… and new driver and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel is targeting wins after joining from Ferrari
- Aston Martin are back on a Formula One grid for the first time since 1960
- The team have taken over the outfit formerly known as Racing Point for 2021
- Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel made ‘ambitious’ target of wins
- In its previous guise they finished fourth in the 2020 constructors’ championship
Aston Martin have unveiled their first Formula One car in more than 60 years after launching the brand new AMR21.
The team have returned to the pinnacle of motor racing having last entered a grand prix in 1960, taking over the operations from the Silverstone-based outfit previously known as Racing Point.
Wednesday’s launch saw the previously pink cars undergo a big livery change, opting for the iconic British racing green with hints of pink in reference to their Racing Point lineage.
Aston Martin have unveiled their brand new AMR21 car for their return to Formula One
The constructor, new for 2021, has been absent from a Formula One grid as a team since 1960
The British outfit have taken over operations from the previous team known as Racing Point
In 2020, the team finished a highly credible fourth in the constructors’ championship behind winners Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren and will now hope to push on for greater success this term.
The new car is an update of the RP20 raced last season which brought the team four podiums and even a victory at the Sakhir Grand Prix in the hands of former driver Sergio Perez.
This season the Mexican has been replaced by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel after his contract was not renewed by Ferrari at the end of 2020.
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has joined the team for this season from Ferrari
The German will be partnered by Lance Stroll (left) who was part of Racing Point previously
The striking British racing green livery also features hints of Racing Point’s pink colours
The German admitted that while winning again in 2021 would not be easy, it was his ambition heading into the campaign.
‘Winning is a bit ambitious but it’s our goal and that’s why we go racing,’ Vettel said at the launch.
‘I am a veteran, I have experience so I hope it will help. Both of us (team-mate Lance Stroll) are driving the car so feedback and what we are doing are essential to the team. It’s exciting to be part of a new team.
‘It has potential, it has been strong with limited resources, but with the new launch as Aston Martin and bringing talented people to the team, if we share joy and passion good things will follow.’
Stroll and Vettel remove the union flag styled car cover to unveil the new AMR21 design
The car is an update of last season’s RP20 that took the team to fourth in the standings
Aston Martin will be hoping it can push on and keep on challenging at the sharp end of the grid
Partnering the German will be Lance Stroll who was Perez’s team-mate in the team’s previous Racing Point guise last season.
Vettel stated he would be taking to the track on Thursday to give the car a shakedown run ahead of a tightly packed pre-season schedule.
Aston Martin’s launch comes just a day after Mercedes and fellow new outfit Alpine launched their 2021 challengers ahead of the new campaign
Testing for the new season gets under way in Bahrain a week on Friday before the three-day running gives way to the first round of the world championship in the Gulf Kingdom a fortnight later.