Aston Martin

Image: Twitter @PARATONER

Watch: 60 years on, Aston Martin poised to shake and stir F1 racing grid

The Aston Martin Formula One team is on track to make its F1 debut in Melbourne, Australia, on 21 March 2021, marking a return to motorsport’s premier competition for the luxury carmaker.

Aston Martin

Image: Twitter @PARATONER

The Aston Martin name is back in Grand Prix racing for the first time in six decades.

The Silverstone-based team also revealed that American IT firm Cognizant will be their title sponsor.

Lean, green racing machine

The newly-christened Aston Martin Cognizant F1 team will reveal their new livery in February ahead of the return of an Aston Martin works team to the Formula 1 grid for the first time since 1960.

It signals the end of Austrian company BWT’s title sponsorship of the Silverstone squad under their previous guise as Racing Point, which saw their cars painted lurid pink – with British Racing Green expected to be the colour on drivers Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll’s cars this season.

The British marque has enjoyed great success in sportscar racing in recent years, highlighted by multiple class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and now Aston Martin is back to at the most famous of all motorsport arenas: Formula 1.

Aston Martin understands the power of Formula 1 when it comes to brand awareness. Much work has already been done via the company’s title sponsorship of Red Bull Racing, but Aston Martin will now take this to new heights as it joins the F1 elite as a manufacturer.

Watch: Aston Martin’s track record

Aston Martin turns the page

Aston Martin Lagonda executive chairman Lawrence Stroll said F1 is a truly global sport with a huge audience that we believe can help reignite the brand.

“Formula 1 is a hugely powerful platform that will play a key part in the overall Aston Martin strategy as we seek to take the company forward. This is a brand that has already had huge success in top-level international motorsport such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans – and now we have an opportunity to write a new page in the history books.

“That’s a hugely exciting prospect for anyone who is a lover of the Aston Martin brand, for fans of Formula 1 and the sport itself.”

Start of a new high-speed journey

Team principal and CEO Otmar Szafnauer said the team had almost a year of preparation to reach this point and are looking forward to seeing the reaction when they finally unveil their new identity as the Aston Martin Formula One team.

“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.

“It’s the start of a new journey and I can sense extra energy in the team, with a determination to push performance further than ever before.

‘True racers’ mentality’ underpins Aston Martin return

“Combined with some of the most creative minds in the business, a true racers’ mentality, and the can-do spirit that has served us so well through the years, we have every reason to be excited about the future,” Szafnauer added.

It will indeed be a historic and poignant moment when two Aston Martin Formula One cars line up on the grid in Melbourne in March, returning the luxury marque to Grand Prix racing for the first time in 60 years and starting a new era for a truly great British brand.