F1: Aston Martin return, but will they have a licence to thrill?

For the first time in 60 years, Aston Martin has returned to F1 with a star-studded launch. The AMR21, dressed in British Racing Green, was draped in a Union Jack with Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel by its side.

This is essentially the same car that won the penultimate round in Bahrain (which is the first round this year) and finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, although it’s a brand new team and livery.

Aston Martin are undoubtedly a famous sportscar and racing brand, having won countless Le Mans and endurance victories, and Lawrence Stroll, the team owner, has high hopes for their return.

Aston Martin, formerly Racing Point and Force India, has a reliable F1 history, taking the fight to the ‘bigger teams’, winning races and grabbing podiums where they can. The hope of this new partnership will be a stronger battle with Red bull and Mercedes, and aim for a solid third place in the constructors.

Their main driver for this will probably be Sebastian Vettel, a man who holds multiple championship titles with Red Bull, but also a man who has somewhat disappointed with Ferrari, partly due to the poor performance of the powerplant after the restart, but also owing to a lack of enthusiasm as they refused to extend his contract.

With Haas on 4, Williams on 5 and Ferrari on 10 March, there are only a few launches remaining, and the season will be upon us on 26 March with a new, three one-hour practice sessions schedule rather than the old 90-minute alternative.