The highly anticipated AMR21 was finally launched by Aston Martin at an event on Wednesday, after the rebranding of the Racing Point team over the winter. Aston Martin will be back on the grid this year, after 61 whole years, with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and young talent Lance Stroll at the wheel. Before switching to Aston Martin, Vettel raced for Ferrari.
Their first look with AMR21 was posted on F1’s official account. “Team Green”, they captioned the post.
James Bond actor, Daniel Craig and American Football Quarterback Tom Brady, sent video messages supporting and congratulating the Aston Martin team for the launch of their first car sin 1960.
“I just want to send a massive congratulations to all of Aston Martin for getting back onto the F1 grid for the first time since 1960. It is an incredible thrill for me and I’m sure for all F1 fans to see Aston Martin racing again in their iconic Aston martin racing green.” he said in the video that he posted on Instagram.
“Sebastian Vettel, four-times world champion, and the amazing young talent, Lance Stroll. Good luck to you all, to Lawrence, to all the team. Go take it to them, I’ll see you on the grid.” he concluded.
“Hey Lance and Seb, looks like your ride is finally here and it looks amazing,” said Brady, who signed an endorsement deal with Aston Martin in 2017. “The AMR21 car looks incredible and fast!”
“So congrats to you, Lawrence, on the terrific team you guys are building. It’s always about the teamwork, we all know that, and I can’t wait to see what you guys have in store this season. It’s incredible Aston Martin is back on the grid in Formula One. I’ll be cheering you every step of the way, and with these two great drivers in Lance and Seb, I wish you all the success. So good luck, and kick some ass!”
The AMR21 will make its first on-track appearance on Thursday, with Vettel and Stroll shaking down the Mercedes-powered car at Silverstone.
Technical director Andy Green confirmed that the new car also features a new chassis, where the development tokens had been spent over the winter, as the team also utilises the 2020 Mercedes rear end.
“Yes, it was a chassis change but no, I can’t divulge the reasons why we changed the chassis,” Green said. “I think for the rear end and the gearbox is something that had been planned for a long time so we had a lot of warning — we had a lot of data upfront on what the rear end looked like, so the integration started relatively early for this car. It wasn’t a shock.”
“We had plenty of time to plan for it, plenty of time to develop around it. I’d say we adapted the car to suit. The good thing is it moves us into the direction we wanted to go in anyway which is great. We haven’t run the car yet so I can’t say if it’s going to be completely seamless or not but so far it’s been absolutely fine. “, he continued.
Fans are very eagerly looking forward to see AMR21 on the grid, and to see Vettel and Stroll in action!
