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LE CASTELLET, FRANCE – Owner of Racing Point Lawrence Stroll and Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Racing Point walks in the Paddock before final practice for the F1 Grand Prix of France at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France. (Photo by Charles Coates/Getty Images)
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LE CASTELLET, FRANCE – Owner of Racing Point Lawrence Stroll and Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Racing Point walks in the Paddock before final practice for the F1 Grand Prix of France at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France. (Photo by Charles Coates/Getty Images)
Aston Martin is heading into their first season after their rebranding from Racing Point. Team boss Otmar Szafnauer is confident that they can take the fight to the top dogs on the grid.
According to him, the team could have easily finished last season in third, but McLaren ended up beating up by just 7 points. Thus, he thinks that the team has the potential to put up a fight at the front of the grid.
CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS
Congratulations to @McLarenF1, who claim third in the championship!
They edge out Racing Point and Renault after a season-long battle ⚔️
Carlos Sainz is still to be investigated after the race#AbuDhabiGP 🇦🇪 #F1 pic.twitter.com/Q7u1NtKEca
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 13, 2020
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Aston Martin aims for third, again
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BARCELONA, SPAIN – Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Racing Point talks in a press conference during practice for the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Andy Hone/Pool via Getty Images)
Otmar Szafnauer is feeling optimistic ahead of the 2021 Formula One season. In an interview with RTL, he said,” We had the potential to be third in the end. I think McLaren was not as unlucky as we were. We should have finished third. So it makes sense for us to finish third.”
He added, “Of course it would be great if we can deliver a fight to Red Bull and Mercedes.”
Indeed, the team boss would be feeling good since they have a four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel replacing Sergio Perez. The German will partner Lance Stroll for the new season of F1.
A chance at the title?
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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – DECEMBER 13: Lance Stroll of Canada driving the (18) Racing Point RP20 Mercedes during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 13, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Clive Mason – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Aston Martin would have a Mercedes engine in the back of the cars, and Vettel behind the wheel. This gives them a slight edge over the competition and not fight for just a good finish in the Constructors’ championship, but maybe a chance at the title too.
The clock is ticking towards the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix, for those cars will be zipping around the track once again. Time would be the true judge here, seeing if Aston Martin can really fight the big boys or not.
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What are your predictions for the Silverstone-based team?
Also Read: Lance Stroll ‘Could Very Well’ Beat Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin: Szafnauer
