Aston Martin have become the third team to launch their 2022 season with a digital event that revealed the new AMR22, featuring a revised livery.
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll will form the Silverstone-based team’s line-up, in what will be their second season under the Aston Martin banner.
The AMR22, which was revealed on the factory production line at Aston Martin Lagonda’s headquarters in Gaydon, features a curvy aerodynamic design required by revolutionary new rules making their debut this year.
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The livery has been updated, too, with lime detailing blended with what the team described as a “refined version of the traditional green livery”. The car will hit the track in a shakedown at Silverstone on February 11, marking the first time a 2022-spec car will turn a wheel in anger.
Billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll, who was joined at the launch by Chief Technical Officer Andrew Green and Performance Director Tom McCullough, last year set in motion a five-year plan to make the team a World Championship contender.
Stroll said: “The Aston Clinton hill climb is about an hour’s drive from Gaydon and it was there that Lionel Martin launched Aston Martin into the heat of competition. That was the start of the climb that our Formula 1 team is still on today. We have a five-year plan to keep climbing and get to the top.”
Vettel added: “Look at that car, who wouldn’t feel excited about the prospect of racing that? And when it comes to hopes for the season, I do not think anyone really knows what to expect. There are new rules and of course all the teams will be hoping that they have got it right.
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“Everyone wants to win, me included, and no one would be in Formula 1 if their dream was not to win. I am no different. The main thing is to keep moving forward and moving up. This is only year two of a five-year plan, so we are still quite near the start. But this team has big ambitions and big plans, and I am hugely excited to be a part of that.”
Lance Stroll said: “This is not only a big opportunity for Aston Martin, but also for all the teams. We just have to believe that we have done a better job and I know that everyone involved is working unbelievably hard to give Seb and me the best chance. At the same time, we have to be realistic heading into the new season.
“Our main aim is to move nearer the front than we were last year,” Stroll continued. “That would be progress. As Seb said, it is impossible to know where every team will be until we all get on track, and even then you might not know who has really got it right until qualifying in Bahrain. Aston Martin has some really clever people so I am optimistic we can make good progress this year.”
Performance Director Tom McCullough added: “All the teams and all the drivers will be addressing a new set of regulations, so having the ability to learn and adapt will be crucial. It throws something new into the mix and we will be generating vast amounts of critical data when the new cars, fitted with 18-inch tyres, take to the track for the first time. How we deal with that will be a test of where we are as an organisation.
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“The new rules mean that everyone will be starting with a relatively clean sheet of paper. You have to suspect that those teams that have been winning recently will start as favourites, but if any team gets a handle on something vital before the rest that could make a crucial difference.”
The Mercedes-powered Aston Martin team finished down in seventh in the constructors’ championship last year, with Vettel scoring the team’s best result with second in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Owner Stroll will be expecting a significantly better performance this time around.
They will be led by new Team Principal Mike Krack, who will begin his role before pre-season running in Barcelona on February 23. He takes over from Otmar Szafnauer, having previously headed up BMW’s motorsport division.
First Look: Aston Martin’s AMR22
