Aston Martin Got James Bond To Help Launch Its 2021 F1 Car

Aston Martin heaped on the glamour at the launch of its new F1 car, hiring Bond girl Gemma Arterton to host an event at which 007 himself, aka Daniel Craig, also made an appearance.

Called the AMR21, the new car will be run by the slightly awkwardly named Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team in the 2201 season starting with the first race in Bahrain later this month. It takes Aston back into the F1 arena after a huge 61-year absence.

Underneath the traditional Aston Martin Racing Green livery that’s featured on the firm’s racing cars for decades is a turbocharged Mercedes-AMG F1 M12 E Performance engine featuring hybrid energy recovery.

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The AMR21 is an evolution of last year’s Racing Point RP20, with the team having been rebranded in January of this year. Racing Point’s owner, Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll, triggered the switch when he bought a 16.7 per cent stake in Aston Martin for £182 million ($253 million).

“I’ve dreamed about this day for a very long time,” said Stroll. I’ve always been a car guy and I’ve always loved racing, too. My first dream was to own a Formula One team. My second dream was to acquire a significant shareholding in Aston Martin Lagonda. Today is about the merging of those two dreams. So, as I say, today is all about dreams, and it shows that dreams really can come true.”

Stroll is also the father of the team’s driver, Lance Stroll, who was paired up with Sergio Pérez last time out, but buddies up with former F1 Champion Sebastian Vettel for the 2021 season. The German spent the last six years at Ferrari, where he was unable to build on the four Championships he won while at Red Bull Racing.

Vettel will get his first taste of the AMR21 at a shakedown test at Silverstone this Thursday, but Aston is honest about its chances of glory.

‘Let’s be realistic,’ said Aston F1’s technical director Andrew Green, setting the tone for the year ahead. ‘We’ve got big ambitions, but we’re going to be fighting against the mid-field and working on closing the gap on the top three and moving forward.’

So don’t expect to see much silverware this year, Aston fans. Maybe they should give James Bond a seat.