Aston Martin is back at the pinnacle of global motorsport after the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team revealed its 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship contender on Wednesday, March 3. The stunning new AMR21 heralds the beginning of a truly significant chapter in the 108-year history of the brand, and carries the hopes of racing fans around the globe ahead of its debut in the Bahrain Grand Prix later this month.
The new Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team car returns the British ultra-luxury marque to the pinnacle of world motorsport for the first time in more than 60 years. It was unveiled in a much anticipated immersive virtual launch in front of a global audience. Described by Aston Martin executive chairman Lawrence Stroll as an “Important event in automotive history”, the new 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 by four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel and rising star Lance Stroll, carries a striking Aston Martin Racing Green livery in recognition of Aston Martin’s traditional racing colours and glorious sporting legacy. It is also bedecked by a host of global partners, led by American IT giant Cognizant, while the chassis features a magenta stripe down the side in reference to the team’s longstanding partner BWT.
It may have been absent from F1 for 61 years, but Aston Martin’s competitive credentials are firmly intact – the company was formed by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford in 1913 with motorsport at the heart of its endeavour. 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 Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team also boasts a strong bloodline, building on the foundations of Team Silverstone, which in its various guises has won five grands prix, and is coming off the back of a race-winning campaign as the Racing Point Formula One Team, having been revitalized under the leadership of Lawrence Stroll and team principal and CEO Otmar Szafnauer.
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 March 4, 2021, before embarking on a full test programme at Bahrain on March 12-14.
