F1 News: Aston Martin confirm launch date for 2021 contender

Aston Martin will unveil their 2021 F1 car on Mar. 3. Photo: Twitter.com / Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team
Aston Martin will unveil their 2021 F1 car on Mar. 3. Photo: Twitter.com / Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team

The newly rebranded Silverstone-based unit took to social media to announce the launch date for Aston Martin's first challenger in Formula One since 1960. The car is scheduled to be launched on Mar. 3 at 1500 GMT.

The launch will also feature Aston Martin's drivers Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll taking part in a Q&A session.

The team is undergoing a significant rebranding, moving away from the bright pink colors of Racing Point to the traditional British racing green that is synonymous with Aston Martin. The team has set some lofty targets for itself from the beginning of the season, as they expect to compete for the podium in the season-opener at Bahrain.

Aston Martin's targets for its first season

Aston Martin will be taking the first steps towards its return to Formula One
Aston Martin will be taking the first steps towards its return to Formula One

Aston Martin has already thrown the gauntlet at challengers like McLaren and Ferrari in their first season back in Formula One. In a conversation with SkyF1, Team boss Otmar Szaufnauer has said he expects the team to challenge and beat the likes of McLaren and Ferrari in their first season back.

Question marks around Aston Martin's car and the drivers

It's hard to deny that the 2020 Racing Point challenger was more than influenced by the Mercedes of the 2019 season. As a consequence, the team was able to compete regularly for podiums and achieve great results. The 2020 Challenger was even termed the "Pink Mercedes" by many around the paddock and Renault had even questioned the legality of Racing Point's car.

With newly rebranded Aston Martin still getting parts from Mercedes, it would be interesting to see if the first Aston Martin challenger holds any resemblance to last year's Mercedes.

Aston Martin will also feature Sebastian Vettel in his first season with the team. The four-time world champion is replacing Sergio Perez, who had a remarkable season in 2020.

Vettel, on the other hand, had a torrid time at Ferrari in 2020, and there are question marks over how the German will fare. Lance Stroll, too, has come under criticism more often than not over his lack of consistency.

Aston Martin's return to Formula One is great news for the sport and it will be interesting to see how the British team fares at the pinnacle of motorsport.

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Edited by Sandeep Banerjee