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Taking their first steps in Formula 1 on the back of an impressive season in 2020 as Racing Point, Aston Martin have already proclaimed that they want to compete for the championship in four to five years.
The 2021 season will be a year of consolidation and moving forward for the Silverstone-based team that recently onboarded former four-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel.
With the first race of the season less than a week away, let's have a look at what Aston Martin have to offer in the 2021 Formula 1 season.
Team: Aston Martin
Strengths
To know more about Aston Martin, we need to have a look at its DNA. Aston Martin's origin dates back to Force India, a team renowned for being the most efficient on the grid. It was a team that would always punch above its weight and almost defied expectations when it came to the results they achieved when compared to the budget they had.
Aston Martin have carried over the same DNA, with the team personnel almost remaining the same since the Force India days. Aston Martin's identity is that of a team that's efficient, capable and are over-achievers.
With Aston Martin's funding to help the team out, it would be interesting to see what kind of progress the team will make throughout the season.
Weakness
It's hard to find weaknesses as such, as we haven't seen it perform under the 'Aston Martin' banner yet.
But if there is one thing that does stick out, it's the vulnerability of the team's driver lineup. Lance Stroll holds on to his seat because his father runs the Aston Martin team.
The 2020 Formula 1 season had a few good moments for the young driver, but he had Sergio Perez scoring close to double the points Stroll did throughout the season. Will Stroll be able to make the most of the machinery at hand? There are still question marks over that.
Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin's star signing, had a poor season with Ferrari last year. Although multiple issues contributed to Vettel's poor showing, it cannot be denied that Vettel hasn't looked the same after Hockenheim 2018.
Which version of Sebastian Vettel will Aston Martin have to contend with? Only time will tell, but it surely does raise question marks about whether the two Aston Martin drivers will be able to extract the maximum out of the car.
Aston Martin Drivers
Sebastian Vettel
The 2021 season is crucial for Sebastian Vettel's legacy. If the same old Vettel that we've seen recently shows up, then his legacy would be ripped apart by his critics. However, if the Sebastian Vettel of the Red Bull days shows up, Aston Martin could have an outside chance of even challenging for third place in the championship.
Vettel, on his par,t would look forward to life without Ferrari, and it remains to be seen how he will perform at Aston Martin.
Lance Stroll
It's not ideal when you're driving in a team because your dad owns it. But that is what Lance Stroll will have to contend with on a daily basis.
Lance Stroll has shown flashes of brilliance, interspersed with mediocre performances. His pole in Turkey last year was the stuff legends are made of, but Stroll was eventually outraced by his teammate.
In 2021, Aston Martin will hope Lance Stroll can deliver on his potential and bring in some consistency to his driving.
Aston Martin Pre-season Test Form Guide
Aston Martin had an average pre-season test in Bahrain. They struggled with reliability just like Mercedes did, something that affected Sebastian Vettel the most.
Vettel has not yet come to terms with how the car behaves, and he recently admitted that the lack of track time could be detrimental in his preparations for the first race.
Aston Martin did not go for performance runs and focussed primarily on getting to know the car better during the pre-season test. Whenever the car was on the track, it looked quite good and steady, but the preparations getting hindered by a lack of reliability could affect the team's ability to extract the most out of the car.
In the pecking order, it's hard to predict where Aston Martin would be, but it's unlikely they'll be above Mclaren and Alpha Tauri, for now.
Aston Martin 2021 Formula 1 season predictions
Aston Martin sees 2021 as a season of consolidation. They had an impressive 2020 campaign, where they should have arguably achieved more. They'll look at 2021 with the same objective. But with Mclaren having a better driver lineup, it could be difficult to surpass them by the end of the year.
Nevertheless, Aston Martin seems to have a great baseline with their 2021 challenger and should be able to hold off the likes of Alpine, Alpha Tauri and Ferrari. Aston Martin could realistically retain their fourth place in the constructors standings this year.
