‘Had to Redevelop the Whole Thing’ – Aston Martin Boss Confirms Vettel Won’t Be Getting a Mercedes Clone

Aston Martin will be making its return after six decades to Formula One after Racing Point was rebranded. Aston Martin will still be powered by Mercedes engines for the upcoming season.

Aston Martin were in hot water last season for it’s stunning similarity to the grid-leading Mercedes. This led to them being dubbed as the ‘Pink Mercedes’ or Mercedes Clone. Team boss Otmar Szafnauer has confirmed the 2021 car will be different to 2020 design.

They have undergone an off-season of change with the transition from the Racing Point to Aston Martin. They have signed Four-Time World Champion Sebastian Vettel for the outgoing Mexican driver Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez.

The British company has had a very short and unsuccessful history in Formula One. It lasted only six races, across two seasons in 1959 and 1960. They were pointless in all six races and ultimately pulled out to concentrate on racing cars and events like Le Mans.

Aston Martin was expected to make their comeback in the 2025 season but, they have fast-tracked those plans to the upcoming season. This was able to take place because Aston Martin received an investment from Canadian billionaire, Lawrence Stroll, in January 2020. This resulted in him getting a 16.7 percent stake in the company.

Szafnauer believes the 2021 car is better than the 2020 one 

The Romanian in an interview talked about the 2021 car. He said, “So, we didn’t have the normal latitude of development that we usually do. So, from a philosophy standpoint running a low-rate car, that stayed the same.”

He talks about the changes in the car, saying, “However, having said that, even though we didn’t have a lot of latitude for development, the FIA did make changes, and significant ones to take downforce away and slow us down. And because of that, we had to redevelop the whole thing.”

The 56-year-old listed the chassis and aerodynamics as the major changes. He said, “So, this is the first time that a carryover car has had many of its parts new. Although the philosophy is carryover, we will still have a lot of new parts of the car, a lot of aerodynamic development, even a new chassis for us. So, although the car will be similar to last year, it’s predominantly new.”

Aston Martin’s ambitions for the upcoming season

Aston Martin has shown plenty of ambition by making their foray into F1 just a year before the 2022 regulations. The British company will be looking to use the 2021 season as one of transition.

The car will sport a green and gold livery and would be an interesting look on the grid. Aston Martin’s goal will be to have a competitive car for the interesting 2022 season.

The driver duo of Vettel and Lance Stroll will be one of the duos to watch on the grid. I also want to see how competitive Vettel will be. Vettel will have a car more or less suited to his strengths and would be an interesting watch.