Aston Martin has launched its 2022 Formula 1 car, the AMR22, which will be driven by Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll this year.
The team has clarified that the car they revealed on Thursday is the actual car that will be racing this year, making it the first genuine look at a car. built according to the new F1 . specifications.
Haas and Red Bull both held launch events last week, but the images of the Haas car are just digital images of the early stages of the VF22 development and Red’s vehicle presentation. Bull introduces a car in the team’s new program instead of the actual design that will be driven this season.
The new F1 regulations for 2022 were written with the aim of increasing the chances of overtaking in races. There are a number of significant design changes from recent years – including a focus on ground-effect aerodynamics and larger 18-inch wheels – that have changed the vehicle’s visual appearance.
The new AMR22 is clearly the most advanced design released to date, with several variations based on ideas featured on the F1 concept car launched last year and used at the Red Bull premiere. .
However, Aston Martin technical director Andrew Green stressed that this is the “first iteration” of a design that will evolve significantly over the course of the season.
“The big changes in regulations in 2022 have created a huge challenge,” Green said. “Every part of the car is almost new, so the philosophy of the AMR22 is to be open-ended and give us flexibility.
“Nobody has all the answers yet for maximizing regulations, so it was initially about avoiding vulnerabilities in development – that was an important message for our design team. It was a big challenge, but everyone overcame it, and we’re motivated to tackle the questions that arise during development.
“AMR22 will be the first of many iterations over the coming year, which will set the tone for 2023 and beyond. In many ways, this is the busiest winter we’ve ever had because of Japan.” the nature of such a completely different set of regulations. There is very little transition from 2021 to 2022.”
With pre-season testing still two weeks away, Vettel said it was too early to speculate where Aston Martin would line up in the competition order this year.
“I think from a driving point of view, the main challenge will be adapting to these cars,” Vettel said in a press conference ahead of the launch. “They feel driving in the simulator is a little bit different, but I think it will be different when driving in real life.
“Then I think it depends on our position [in the competitive order]. The ideal challenge would be to fight to win and get a lot of podiums because we are very competitive, but right now I don’t have any expectations because right now you can only look at the cars. car.
“So far we have only seen fakes [of car designs] until today. But you have no idea of what is right and what is wrong, so I think we need to relate some lap time and some track experience to it and then we will have an impression. better. Where do I think we are next? [in the order].
“But one of the main goals for this year is to show that we’re a running organization and that we can build a very good car from the start or improve throughout the season… or do both!”
The car will hit the track for the first time on Friday during a test session at Silverstone, which Green hopes will help defuse any problems ahead of its first pre-season test with all the teams in Barcelona. on February 23-25.
“What we wanted to do was remove as soon as possible to check the systems on the vehicle and give us some time between the removal and inspection in Barcelona,” said Green. “So that’s what’s rocking tomorrow, so we have time to react.
“Hopefully tomorrow we’ll have a good takedown and nothing to react to, but because the car is brand new, completely devoid of any activity and real pre-season testing. very short, and the second test is so close to the first Race that it will be almost impossible to react, we think it would be nice if you get a kill before the first test and create Give yourself some space between the takedown and the first test to react.
“That’s where we come in with the takedown date, and it makes sense to launch the day before. We have the car, the car is effectively ready, so that’s the logic behind it. [the launch date]. “
Aston Martin finished 7th in last year’s constructors’ championship but has set its sights on challenging future championships.
The team saw a major change in senior leadership over the winter, with principal Otmar Szafnauer leaving Aston Martin and being replaced by former BMW motorsport coach Mike Krack.
The team was renamed Aston Martin last year by its owner Lawrence Stroll, Lance’s father, who is also the co-owner of Aston Martin.
