Aston Martin returns to Formula One

After a hiatus of 61 years, Aston Martin returns to Formula 1 as a factory works team. The new Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team AMR21 challenger will run for the first time at Silverstone on 4 March Excitingly, Aston Martin’s newly formed F1 team will become a true innovation lab that guides future automotive technology for Aston’s road vehicles.

Aston Martin, in the first time in more than 60 years is back in Formula One and we can, in no small part, thank Investor, Executive Chairman and passionate motorsport fanatic, Lawrence Stroll, for that. Cheers Lawrence.

There’s plenty of debate from armchair experts around Lawrence’s motivation for reigniting Aston’s involvement in F1. His son, Lance, will be a driver for the team alongside some bloke called Sebastian after all. But in reality, beyond all the hyperbole, Stroll’s holistic vision for Aston Martin as a company is comprehensive and very, very exciting.

Formula One will be at the centre of the British carmaker’s marketing strategy going forward, this elevates the brand but the inevitable innovation cross over from F1 will also herald even better cars in the future.

Described by Aston Martin Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll as an ‘important event in automotive history’, F1’s newest contender will be the first works Formula 1 car to carry the famous wings since Maurice Trintignant’s DBR5 crossed the finish line at Silverstone in 1960.

The AMR21, to be raced this season carries a striking Aston Martin Racing Green livery in recognition of Aston Martin’s traditional racing colours and glorious sporting legacy while the chassis features a magenta stripe down the side acknowledging the team’s longstanding partner BWT. Modern era Formula 1 cars are less about form and more function, Aston’s road cars are arguably more beautiful, but the heritage inspired livery without question looks fantastic.
The reveal of the car also threw the spotlight on an energizing shift within Aston Martin as the team is set to become the global showcase for the brand’s engineering and performance capabilities.

A new 200,000 square-foot facility will complement the existing Aston Martin F1TM factory at Silverstone when completed in the second half of 2022, and the team is well positioned to become an innovation lab to drive forward the brand’s future road car technologies. These will include the suite of mid-engined sportscars, inspired by the Aston Martin Valkyrie, which will become central to the product portfolio through the next decade.

While it’s been away from F1 some years, Aston Martin is no stranger to the category or other motorsport codes. Next year will mark a century since Aston Martin made its grand prix debut (in France 1922), and the brand has enjoyed sustained success in sportscar racing, including overall victory in the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans. Most recently Aston Martin became a double class winner with the Vantage GTE in last year’s race at La Sarthe and is the reigning GT FIA World Endurance Manufacturers’ champion.

The new AMR21, powered by a turbo-charged Mercedes-AMG F1 M12 E Performance engine with hybrid energy recovery, will run for the first time at Silverstone during a promotional day on 4 March, 2021, before embarking on a full test programme at Bahrain on 12-14 March.
For Aston Martin Lagonda’s Executive Chairman, Lawrence Stroll it’s the realisation of a dream.

The Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team will make its F1 return at the Bahrain Grand Prix on 28 March, 2021.