Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin, Silverstone, 2021

First pictures: New Aston Martin AMR21 runs at Silverstone

2021 F1 season

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Aston Martin’s new AMR21 has run for the first time in a filming day at Silverstone.

Lance Stroll and new team mate Sebastian Vettel were on-hand to shake down the car.

Technical director Andrew Green said the team’s latest car reflects what the 30-year-old team has learned through its different iterations, most recently as Racing Point.

“The AMR21 is an expression of that never-ending learning curve,” he said. “It is closely related to our 2020 car, but it is an all-new chassis.”

“I am confident that the 500 fantastic men and women who design, manufacture, build, prepare and maintain our car will have done everything in their power to create a good one,” he added. “We all know how competitive Formula 1 is right now, and we certainly do not underestimate our opposition.

“We expect to be in the mix in the ‘best of the rest’ category from the start. We are ambitious yet realistic. But we intend to improve steadily, and our ultimate ambitions are limitless.”

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Pictures: 2021 Aston Martin AMR21 on track

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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30 comments on “First pictures: New Aston Martin AMR21 runs at Silverstone”

  1. If the color schemes remains the 2022 car will look good.

    1. I agree. I am pleased Aston Martin went with its heritage, rather than the traditional racing, green. True to its roots.

      On another point, can anyone find a clear view of each of the driver’s helmets? I can’t quite make out what Vettel has done with his, and as far as I can see Stroll (who I don’t recall has ever had a consistent colour scheme) has just gonna for total green.

  2. Doug Webster
    4th March 2021, 18:24

    I wasn’t expecting British Racing Teal.

    I’ve read a lot of positive comments on this livery, but oof. Teal and bright pink. For me it’s rough.

    1. Agreed. I love bluish-greens, but this is a true teal — bang in the middle of both colours — and it just looks a bit off. It would only need to lean ever so slightly more green to be a fantastic livery for me.

      1. +100 – something about it makes it not as good it should/could be.

    2. I guess I’m an idiot, but what bright pink? A real green, like the Jordan 191, would have been great; best looking F1 car ever in my opinion.

    3. I think it must have something to do with the AM Valkyrie, they are trying to market it as F1 stuff as much as possible.

  3. Coventry Climax
    4th March 2021, 18:31

    @ Keith: Can you do a set of ‘slider pics’ between this years AM and last years Merc?

  4. Giuliano Sadar
    4th March 2021, 19:15

    Just two words: FORZA SEB!!!!!! You dont’know how many former Ferrari fans has become AS fand after the way the Cavallino dealed with Vettel affair.

  5. I’m really taken with the whole Aston Martin thing. I know it’s just branding, but it’s still a proper car brand with same owner so almost feels like a manufacturer entry. (Of course helps AM was my childhood dream road car)

    1. Of course helps AM was my childhood dream road car

      Not anymore, @balue?

      1. @coldfly Guess I’ve seen too much Jeremy Clarkson and his Ferrari fetish since then.. (although his race to Monte Carlo in the DB9 was a good homage)

        No honestly couldn’t choose between them – they’re all fantastic. Just getting nicer and nicer too. If anything, liking the McLaren F1 team is perhaps skewing this picture somewhat.

  6. Are AM aiming for the elderly audience with those huge driver numbers on the nose?

  7. Dave (@davewillisporter)
    4th March 2021, 20:01

    Gotta say, that looks a fast car. More impressive than the McLaren and with news that Alpine are using a moderately upgraded PU mainly tweaked for reliability as apposed to the step change they originally planned for new aero regs in ’21 now pushed to ’22, I’m going to go out on a limb and call 3rd for Aston at the end of the season. If Ferrari actually have more power AND sorted their draggy car out it could be extremely close between McLaren Aston and Ferrari but I’ll give it to Aston.
    There’s a saying in Aerospace Engineering. If it looks right it probably flies right.

    1. I’m expecting Merc to be out front yet again, with two Merc powered teams and 1 Honda powered making up the top 4. I have Ferrari as a chance of upsetting my top four. Would love to see a Team other than Merc out front for a change (I’m not anti Merc. I drive one), I just want to see a real contest for the first time in many seasons.

  8. Dave (@davewillisporter)
    4th March 2021, 20:03

    Test

  9. Looks fabulous!

  10. Loved the livery. Could have used a bit more pink I think, but since the deal with BWT was a last minute one, I can understand why they wen’t for that only.

    Also, Lance has to have the most boring helmet design ever. Such a missed opportunity there.

  11. Maybe it’s just the overcast and dull day, but that colour looks very dark. At times it’s going to be very hard to distinguish from the “real” Mercs. For example, a head-on television shot just after the start. Even the rear-wing colour and writing are similar.

    1. Exactly what I thought. I already anticipate mixing them up with Mercedes on television.

  12. Seb will be very very happy this year. Aston Martin looks stunning and very fast. Maybe even right behind Mercedes.

  13. The colour reminds me of the late 60’s BRMs. I quite like it but I will miss the pink.

  14. Adam (@rocketpanda)
    4th March 2021, 21:50

    I really quite like the car. I even like the pink, and I quite like the team. I’ll probably support them. Though the talk of heritage, authenticity and acting like this is some sort of enormous manufacturer entity with a long and storied history seems a bit funny for a car that’s literally made from photographs of someone else’s, is using someone else’s engine, had different brand objectives and owners just a few years ago and arguably wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for Stroll wanting to give his son an F1 drive.

  15. Be good if they got some quotes from Seb on how the merc engine compares to both the Renault and Ferrari. Surely he is one of the few who have driven more than 2 engine manufacturers.

    1. I don’t know whether his 2014 experience with Renault PU stays relevant, but the head-on comparison between the current Mercedes engine and the 2019 Ferrari would be interesting. Maybe we’ll find out Mercedes got inspired in few things.

  16. I love the look of the car, my favorite looking for 2021

  17. The car looks awesome. Both Alpine and Aston are really vibrant new liveries .. should make for a really colourful midfield.

    1. Fully agree. I would even go as far as calling the 2021 grid the best looking since a while now, in terms of liveries of course.

  18. It sure looks very Mercedes like again on track. That’s a good thing. I’m more worried about the driver’s than the car tbh, but ok that’s another debate!

  19. AMR21 first run in name only.

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