The Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 team, revealed their 2022 Formula 1 car, the AMR22, the Silverstone-based squad’s second F1 creation under the Aston Martin moniker.
The third team to unveil their 2022 F1 car, Aston Martin will be looking to have a fresh start with the technical regulations overhaul the sport is witnessing this year, after a difficult 2021 F1 campaign saw the team finish seventh overall in the Constructors’ Championship, suffering from changes applied to the cars’ floors in 2021.
The team has a lively pedigree, beginning life in F1 as Jordan Grand Prix, founded and run by maverick Irish driver turned team boss Eddie Jordan. In early 2005, he sold the Silverstone based operation to the Midland Group, who competed for one final season as ‘Jordan’, before renaming the team as MF1 Racing for the 2006 season
Later that year the team changed hands again bought by Dutch car manufacturer Spyker for 2007 before being sold yet again to Vijay Mallya who rebranded the team to Force India in 2008.
Under the Indian billionaire, the minnows of F1 often punched above their weight until Mallya’s corrupt empire collapsed. On the brink of shutting down, Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll – along with a business consortium – stepped in to save the team which he renamed Racing Point before morphing into the grand Aston Martin project last year.
For the 2022 F1 season, the team will feature an unchanged driver lineup featuring four-time F1 Champion Sebastian Vettel who, in his second season with the team, will be sharing the garage with Lance Stroll, the son of Lawrence who is now majority owner and executive chairman. Vettel’s compatriot, Nico Hulkenberg remains as well in the capacity of reserve driver.
Speaking ahead of the unveiling, Executive Chairman, Lawrence Stroll, said: “The Aston Clinton hill climb is about an hour’s drive from Gaydon and it was there that Lionel Martin launched Aston Martin into the heat of competition. That was the start of the climb that our Formula One team is still on today. We have a five-year plan to keep climbing and get to the top.
“To win in Formula One everything has to be in the right place and a lot of moving parts have to come together. You need the right people in every part of the team and you need the right partners to help make that possible. At Aston Martin we have wonderful and highly valued partners, including our title partner, Cognizant, and I am delighted to welcome Aramco as our long-term strategic partner.”
Sebastian Vettel excited about the AMR22
Speaking after the unveiling, Sebastian Vettel said: “Look at that car, who wouldn’t feel excited about the prospect of racing that? And when it comes to hopes for the season, I do not think anyone really knows what to expect.
“There are new rules and of course all the teams will be hoping that they have got it right. Everyone wants to win, me included, and no one would be in Formula One if their dream was not to win. I am no different,” he claimed.
“The main thing is to keep moving forward and moving up. This is only year two of a five-year plan, so we are still quite near the start.
“But this team has big ambitions and big plans, and I am hugely excited to be a part of that,” the German concluded.
Vettel’s teammate Lance Stroll added: “This is not only a big opportunity for Aston Martin, but also for all the teams.
“We just have to believe that we have done a better job and I know that everyone involved is working unbelievably hard to give Seb and me the best chance. At the same time, we have to be realistic heading into the new season. Our main aim is to move nearer the front than we were last year. That would be progress,” he insisted.
“As Seb said, it is impossible to know where every team will be until we all get on track, and even then you might not know who has really got it right until qualifying in Bahrain.
“Aston Martin has some really clever people so I am optimistic we can make good progress this year,” Stroll junior concluded.
The tech guys speak of their latest creation
Speaking about the AMR22 and the season ahead, Andrew Green, Chief Technical Officer, said: “The 2022 regulations are like no other that have gone before: a radical change of direction in both concept and application, probably the most significant change of chassis regulations ever implemented, with an incredibly small amount of carry-over from 2021 into 2022. As a direct result of that, the past winter has undoubtedly been the toughest we have ever had. But with new regulations come new challenges and new opportunities.
“No one has all the answers to maximising the new regulations, so it is all about avoiding development cul-de-sacs, and that was the key message to our design team. It is a huge challenge, but everyone has risen to the task, and we are motivated to solve the many questions that have and continue to arise during the development process. All that while operating under the new cost cap regulations and more restrictive aerodynamic development restrictions.
“The AMR22 we see is our ‘first’ iteration under these new regulations. It will evolve dramatically over the coming months as we run the cars for real and begin to understand the challenges involved. That will, in turn, forge the direction for 2023 and beyond,” Green concluded.
Tom McCullough, Performance Director, added: “All the teams and all the drivers will be addressing a new set of regulations, so having the ability to learn and adapt will be crucial. It throws something new into the mix and we will be generating vast amounts of critical data when the new cars, fitted with 18-inch tyres, take to the track for the first time.
“How we deal with that will be a test of where we are as an organisation. The new rules mean that everyone will be starting with a relatively clean sheet of paper. You have to suspect that those teams that have been winning recently will start as favourites, but if any team gets a handle on something vital before the rest that could make a crucial difference.
“I have no doubt that we at Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One™ Team are in position, on and off track, to take advantage of any opportunity that comes our way,” he concluded.
The #AMR22 has arrived. #WeClimbTogether pic.twitter.com/JR1mP42E7w
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) February 10, 2022