Aston Martin teases colour scheme ahead of F1 return

British sports car make Aston Martin has teased the livery that will grace its Formula 1 team, the familiar colours here appearing to be comprised of British Racing Green, Neon Yellow and Sterling Green. Its 2021 Formula 1 car and full livery will be unveiled in February, said the manufacturer.

Officially known as the Aston Martin Formula One Team, its driver line-up will be comprised of Lance Stroll and four-time Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel. The team has been rebranded to Aston Martin from this year, known before this as Racing Point F1.

Its manufacturer re-entry into top-level open-wheel racing comes as part of the brand’s move from factory-backed GT sports car racing to supporting customer racing teams, electing to focus its factory racing effort on Formula 1. Aston Martin confirmed the conclusion of its factory-backed Vantage GT racing programme last week.

“We’ve had almost a year of preparation to reach this point and we’re really looking forward to seeing the reaction when we finally unveil our new identity as the Aston Martin Formula One Team,” said team principal and CEO Otmar Szafnauer.

“Representing such an iconic brand is a huge privilege for every member of the team. We’ve earned a well-deserved reputation for punching above our weight, so we’re confident we can do the Aston Martin name proud right from the get-go,” Szafnauer said.

An overhaul of Formula 1 technical regulations was postponed to 2022 from its original introduction this year, as a result of the economic fallout resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. In the meantime, the 2021 season will see the introduction of a sliding scale of available simulator time for aerodynamics development across different teams based on their championship positions, reported Autosport.

With this regulation, 2020 constructor champion Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 will have just 90% of a 100% base reference figure that equals 80 hours of wind tunnel time, with 320 runs and 400 hours of tunnel occupancy at the team’s disposal. The percentage increases in 2.5% increments, with 10th-placed Williams afforded 112.5% of the base reference.

This means that in the 2021 season, the Mercedes F1 team will have 72 hours, 288 runs and 360 hours of tunnel occupancy, while Williams will have 90 hours, 360 runs and 450 hours of tunnel occupancy. This is a gradual introduction of graduated allocations that for 2022 will reduce lead constructor allocation to 70% of the agreed wind tunnel time, and increment percentage doubled to 5% between each constructor championship position, according to Autosport.

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.