The Aston Martin Formula 1 team has become the first outfit to reveal its true 2022 race car ahead of the championship season featuring the new rules to improve racing.
The AMR22 was presented in an event at Aston Martin’s Gaydon headquarters before its on-track debut during a filming day at Silverstone.
The Aston Martin AMR22 features an updated livery, replacing the pink elements of former major sponsor BWT with lime green, and sports an aggressive new design in line with the updated regulations for this season.
It is the first proper look at a 2022 Formula 1 car after Haas opted to reveal its design via computer-generated renders, while Red Bull Racing’s RB18 launch was completed using a show car.
Drivers Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll were on hand to help unveil the car ahead of their second season together as teammates.
Four-time world champion Vettel joined Aston Martin for the 2021 season, scoring one podium finish – at Baku – as the team finished seventh in the constructors’ championship.
Aston Martin has undergone some senior management changes over the off-season. Former team principal Otmar Szafnauer has left the team, with his role being taken by former BMW motorsport chief Mike Krack.
The team has also brought in a new major sponsor in the form of Aramco, whose logos feature prominently on the new AMR22 car on the rear wing, airbox and front wing.
“We are continuing our journey to the summit of Formula 1, the most prestigious and competitive racing series in the world – and we want to win,” said team owner Lawrence Stroll.
“But we know winning isn’t easy. That’s why we have a five-year journey and plan to keep climbing and get to the top.
“To win in Formula 1, everything has to be just in the right place, and a lot of moving parts have come together. The sport is constantly evolving, and unless you evolve with it, you will be left behind.”
“When it comes to hopes for the season, I do not think anyone really knows what to expect,” added Vettel. “There are new rules and of course all the teams will be hoping that they have got it right. 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.”
Our climb continues. ?
Welcome, #AMR22. #WeClimbTogether pic.twitter.com/I6BBabwHmS
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) February 10, 2022
Stroll will enter his sixth season in Formula 1 this year, and was optimistic the updated regulations would offer the team a chance to make a big step forward.
“This is not only a big opportunity for Aston Martin, but also for all the teams,” said Stroll. “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. 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.”
Following the filming day on Friday, the Aston Martin AMR22 will enjoy its first extended run-out in pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on February 23-25.
Official website:
https://www.astonmartinf1.com/en-GB/news/announcement/amf1-launches-amr22-at-aston-martin-hq
Social media:
https://twitter.com/AstonMartinF1/status/1491779968644403200?cxt=HHwWgMC-ocn-7rMpAAAA
https://twitter.com/AstonMartinF1/status/1491777869877551114?cxt=HHwWlIC5nbSE7rMpAAAA
News stories:
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-2022-cars-will-have-go-kart-feel-reckons-aston-martin/8050808/
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-aston-martin-reveal-2022-car-with-revised-livery.34DZACb63lmdQdguSdl8YF.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/60325767
https://the-race.com/formula-1/aston-martin-reveals-first-proper-2022-f1-car/
https://the-race.com/formula-1/why-aston-wasnt-afraid-to-show-its-real-2022-f1-car/
https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12477/12538150/aston-martin-reveal-striking-new-car-for-formula-1-2022s-new-era-as-team-bid-to-move-up-order
Sebastian Vettel says the 2022 Formula 1 season will be the ‘true test’ of how good the Aston Martin team is. Motorsport.com has the story.
Speaking at the launch of the team’s AMR22 at Aston Martin’s Gaydon facility on Thursday, Vettel said that factors that held the team back last year would not matter this season.
In particular, he suggested that the Silverstone-based squad’s decision not to upgrade its car throughout much of 2021 meant it could not show off progress.
“At this stage, everybody is hoping to be at the top,” said the four-time world champion. “If you look at the podium, it will still look the same this year, so it’s only space for one.
“But we hope we are in much better shape than last year. We have the ability this year to develop the car and we didn’t do that last year for probably more than three quarters of the season. So it will be very different.
“Obviously, last year we knew from the start that it is going to be a long and difficult season. So we hope for a better one.”
Aston Martin is undergoing a dramatic transformation under owner Lawrence Stroll, and has also had a management shake-up over the winter.
Former team principal Otmar Szafnauer has left the squad, and the team has appointed Mike Krack in his place.
Asked by Motorsport.com if there was a danger that the rapid expansion and changes would remove the benefits the squad had in the past of being a lean and mean operation, Vettel said: “If you say the past was lean and mean, then I hope that the present is not fat and nice.
“I think that the truth is the team is growing, obviously. Having a shuffle in management is always a bit of a hiccup or shake up, and it will take time to overcome.
“But hopefully we manage to pull together and, despite growing in size, becoming leaner, or more efficient in our processes
“I think this year will be a true test for us. And we will see how good we are. Because as I said last year, we didn’t show anything because we didn’t focus on bringing any updates whereas this year it’s all about this set of regulations, this year’s cars or this generation of cars, and we will be able to show what we can produce. And we should be measured based on that.”
While expressing some sadness at the departure of Szafnauer, Vettel said he was looking forward to working with Krack.
“I’ve always liked Otmar and got along with him: and I think it is difficult not to get along with him.
“He definitely had a very central role in the team. A lot of guys knew him because he had been there for so long and for sure it is a big reshuffle.
“But I am looking forward. I think Mike is great, and I’m very much looking forward to work with him again.
“He is highly rated by everyone who has shared the way with him. So let’s see is the honest answer, because it’s been some years. But I think, he’s a great, great guy and has a great spirit. So hopefully it’s a strong addition to the team.”
Aston Martin tech chief Andrew Green reveals ‘nerve-wracking’ process behind 2022 car build. Article from Formula1.com.
”Nerve-wracking”. That was the word Aston Martin’s Chief Technical Officer Andrew Green chose to describe the process of readying the team’s AMR22 for the dramatic new regulation changes this season, as Formula 1 heads into a brand-new era.
Speaking at the launch of the AMR22 at Aston Martin Lagonda’s Gaydon factory in the United Kingdom, Green was asked about the technical challenge of creating the new car, built to fresh aerodynamic regulations that put the onus on ‘ground effect’ to generate downforce – with the aim of allowing closer racing.
“It was a massive challenge,” said Green, “and a massive change in regulation to roll back to a ground effect car. That meant our winter has been one of the most challenging that we have ever had: new regulations, new challenges but new opportunities.
“I think what we are seeing is the first iteration of the AMR22,” added Green. “We are on a steep learning curve, everyone’s on a steep learning curve, nobody’s got the answers yet. I think we are going to see this car develop highly over the coming season… So, it is an exciting time to be in Formula 1, but it’s also quite nerve-wracking.”
It’s not just new cars that Green and his team have had to get their heads around this winter but new tyres too, with Formula 1 moving from 13-inch to 18-inch Pirelli rubber for 2022, with Green saying of the change: “We are hoping that the tyres will allow the drivers to attack more during the race.
“Better racing which is what we all want. We have got a lot of learning to do with these tyres; they’ve never been run with the ground effect aerodynamics before, so there’s a lot of data to gather. I am really hoping that they will allow the divers to push harder, and we can get better racing.”
If Green found the process of creating the AMR22 nerve-wracking, at least Aston Martin Performance Director Tom McCullough was enjoying himself, as he described the “fantastic fun” he’d had during the car’s gestation.
“For sure, from an engineering point of view there is nothing more exciting than a huge regulation change,” said McCullough, speaking at the AMR22’s launch. “As Andrew was saying, it’s quite scary at times; we’ve had to go back to the drawing board with a clean sheet of paper in so many areas.
“It has been fantastic fun working with the great team of people we have back at Silverstone, evolving into what you see now,” added McCullough. “Let’s hope we can develop quickly during the season. This launch car will change quickly but it is great to be stood here in front of it now.”
Following a shakedown at Silverstone on February 11 – the first time a 2022 car will be driven on track – the AMR22 will then make its way to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where pre-season running will begin in earnest on February 23.