Aston Martin returning to Formula One for first time since 1960
Aston Martin has announced its return to Formula One after 60 years with a car designed to shake up the established order.
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In 1997 some 5000 people packed into Alexandra Palace to witness the glitzy and star-studded launch of McLaren’s car for that year.
The Spice Girls, at the height of their fame, entertained the crowd and hosted a cringe-worthy Q&A session with the team’s drivers, Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard.
It is the launch most often spoken about, not only as one of the most memorable but also as a reminder of the days when teams spent huge sums of money to unveil their cars.
In recent years, the media have traipsed to a rain-soaked Silverstone or the team’s factories for the grand unveiling, with the most famous people in attendance the drivers.
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With the pandemic still in full swing, teams moved everything online this year, with low-key launches streamed over the usual social media channels.
But not Aston Martin. As they made their return to Formula One for the first time since 1960, they went all out to wow the virtual crowd as they launched their car, the AMR21, for this season.
The team, branded as Racing Point last year, was bought by Lawrence Stroll in 2018, with the Canadian billionaire subsequently buying a majority stake in Aston Martin last year and fusing his two interests.
Never mind that they have the four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel with them this season, who will race alongside Lance Stroll, son of the owner.
They pulled out the big guns. The former Bond girl Gemma Arterton hosted the event looking as glamorous as she did when she appeared in Quantum of Solace, alongside Daniel Craig.
Craig, who has been to several races, made an appearance via a video message, thankfully not dressed in a tuxedo as I was starting to feel very underdressed in my jeans and baggy jumper, though we do now live in a time when actors wear pyjamas to the Golden Globes.
“Go take it to them. I’ll see you on the grid,” he said to end his 30-second message.
James Bond was clearly not enough razzmatazz, however, and the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, sent in a 20-second video message from what looked like his home in Florida. One suspects his inclusion in the car launch cost more than five Spice Girls.
“Hey Lance and Seb, looks like your ride is finally here and it looks amazing,” Brady said, adding that he would be “cheering you every step of the way”.
“So good luck, and kick some ass!”
It was not all as smooth as Bond’s one-liners however, with a few cringe-inducing moments of its own, but it was mostly enjoyable to watch.
Back in the real world, Otmar Szafnauer, the team principal, was focused on the racing and in a media call before the glitzy launch, was realistic about the team’s prospects, and that did not include a world championship in the short term.
“The two things that have to happen are, one, we need a good plan in order for us to start today (Thursday) and get to World Championship contenders, and then we’ve got to execute (the plan). We’re in the midst of that planning now and the execution will definitely take some time.
“People in Formula One, in other teams, have said you’ve got to give us three to five years to do so and we’re no different.”
The team have certainly been moving in the right direction.
In their former iterations as Racing Point and prior to that Force India, they became known as a team capable of punching above their weight, with a much smaller budget than the top teams.
Last season they finished fourth in the constructor standings, and claimed victory in Bahrain.
With the cost cap of $145 million now in place for all teams, it is realistic to think they could challenge for more podiums in the short term, particularly from next season when there are big regulation changes.
They are also in the process of building a new factory that will have state-of-the-art equipment to design and build the car that will hopefully win them titles.
Not bad for a team who were in administration two and a half years ago. But they were not shaken, and now they plan to stir things up.
Revealed: The car set to shake up Supercars
– James Phelps and Rebecca Williams
The next great V8 rivalry will be born in Bathurst this year with the first completed Camaro to be revealed at Mount Panorama in October.
Set to take on the Mustang and create the next generation rivalry which will form the foundation of a sport, News Corp Australia can reveal the first Chevrolet Supercar will be completed in time for a Bathurst 1000 unveiling.
With components already being designing and constructed, the Camaro is part of the “Gen 3” program which will make the sport both more accessible and less expensive.
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As part of News Corp Australia’s look into the biggest issues facing the sport, Supercars CEO Sean Seamer revealed the Bathurst 1000 was being targeted for the Gen 3 unveiling.
The Camaro will first be tested on tracks including Queensland Raceway before being unveiled to the public with a Mount Panorama hot-lap.
“At this stage I think we will be looking at the middle of the year (to test) based on the feedback that I have got from the committee,” Seamer said.
“It’s one of those things – you want to bring it to life, but you can’t rush it.
“Right now the middle of the year is the target.”
Seamer said the Gen 3 plans were progressing “very well” with his expert team navigating through the difficulties presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Obviously there is a tremendous amount of work to be done and continues to go on,” Seamer said.
“But the team and the committee and everyone involved has made the most of last year in particular, but also the extended break that we have had between races, this has been quite a long off-season by our standards, finishing at Bathurst at the end of October,” Seamer said.
“The time has been put to good use and they are flat out working through it.
“We are looking at making sure the transition is successful with the two platforms that we have got and now working towards a third manufacturer for the following year (2023).”
The firm charged with designing the new Supercar’s Camaro is confident of putting the revolutionary car on a racetrack by the end of the year.
“We continue to work with Supercars to try and ensure that what we put on track next year is what we have promised everyone,” said Triple Eight Race Engineer owner Roland Dane.
“I think the fans will gravitate towards the Chevrolet next year. The feedback that we have had has been overwhelmingly positive and continues to be.”
Also in charge of the Red Bull Ampol Racing, Dane said Chevrolet could replace Holden and become Ford’s next great rival.
“I think the demise of the Holden brand in the new car market here is unfortunate,” Dane said.
“But it has happened and it’s old news now and everyone has moved on.
“The Holden brand continues to hold a place in the hearts of many Australians as being something that they have grown up with and enjoyed etc and I’m sure that we’ll get plenty of Holden fans going forward even as we start racing Chevrolets.
“I don’t see that as an issue, the hangover from Holden fans. To be honest, our fan base across the country has become much broader than just Ford and Holden, but they do like to gravitate towards the brands when it comes to watching the racing.
“And we are going to continue that with Chevrolet, which is a very aspirational brand in this country. So I don’t see it as impediment, I think it is only going to add to the excitement.”
Holden great and “Car of the Future” mastermind Mark Skaife predicted the new rivalry between Chevrolet and Ford would be able to sustain the sport.
“I keep trying to think of the helicopter view of what Gen 3 stands for and to me it stands for three things: it stands for affordability, it stands for aspiration and it stands for authenticity,” Skaife said.
“So what we are trying to create is a car that looks very much like the car that we see in our showrooms and that we love, we are trying to create a next generation that is not a Ferrari or a Lamborghini or a McLaren or a whatever.
“It’s not unachievable, it’s an aspirational car that is essentially affordable.
“Really it’s about being part of that brand and having the brand association. Even if you’re a young person, you just love the look of the Camaro.
“I was a little bloke and I used to watch Bob Jane in a Camaro, Allan Moffat in a Mustang. They were the name plates for me that I thought, ‘Oh, wow’.
“If we can provide the same wow factor in the modern era, I see no reason why we can’t make it work.”
Originally published as Aston Martin returning to Formula One for first time since 1960
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