The 2020 Formula 1 season was not what the sport has always been thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic that disrupted the season.
With F1 aiming for a “normal” season in 2021, there is a team that will start things over. It’s the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula 1 team. That team was the Racing Point F1 Team, which was previously the Force India Formula 1 Team. After the financial difficulties of Indian owner Vijay Mallya, Force India was placed under management in 2018 and taken over by a consortium led by Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll.
With the support of Aston Martin there is hope for stability and good performance.
Otmar Szafnauer was with the team that changed hands. As the CEO and team leader of this commercially rebranded team, he believes there is great potential.
“We had almost a year of preparation to get to this point and we’ve been thrilled with the positive response since we revealed our new identity,” he said of the fresh start.
“Representing such a cult brand is a great privilege for every team member. It may sound daunting, but we’ve been racing in Formula 1 (under different names) for 30 years, winning races and finishing on the podium. We have earned a well-deserved reputation for pounding beyond our weight and are confident we can be proud of the Aston Martin name from the start, ”he added.
Starting a new team is never easy, especially in the breakneck world of F1. “It was a mammoth task (building the team). It’s easy to forget that we’ve laid the foundations for a brand new era alongside a very challenging global environment, while balancing those endeavors with our most successful Formula 1 season to date – including a race win and multiple podiums ending on the Way to fourth place in the constructors’ championship, ”he explained.
“While this is a new team name and identity, we have retained the strong backbone that has brought us through some difficult times to where we are today. The challenge was once to establish ourselves as the most efficient team on the grid. Now is an exciting opportunity to establish yourself as a top team while maintaining that efficiency to add an exciting chapter to Aston Martin’s legacy, ”he said.
Mexican driver Sergio Perez left the team after the 2020 season. But the other driver – Lance Stroll – now has four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who will drive by his side in 2021.
“It’s extremely exciting for everyone on the team. With Sebastian we have a proven four-time world champion who has experience in helping teams become race-winning and championship-fighting outfits. That’s why he’s such an important commitment for us. He.” brings a winning mentality and we will undoubtedly all learn a lot from him on this trip, “said Szafnauer.
“In Lance we have a young and talented, hardworking driver who enjoyed his best campaign so far last year. We know if we give him the tools he will be more than capable of helping the team achieve their goals. We also believe Sebastian will get the best out of Lance, with Lance pushing Sebastian hard in return. We’re very excited about our line-up for 2021. It’s the ideal mix of experience, race-winning know-how and raw talent, ”he added.
The new paint job is expected sometime in March. However, things seem to be more difficult than before. “The nature of the global situation makes things more difficult in many ways. The schedules have been cut, but we are in good shape, ”he said.
The season kicks off on March 28th with the Bahrain Grand Prix instead of the traditional Australian GP start. The season has planned 23 races.
The post The Aston Martin F1 Team is confident that 2021 will go well first appeared on monter-une-startup.
