Who will drive for Aston Martin in Formula 1?
Sergio Perez was forced to rip his contract up during the middle of 2020. Aston Martin went after an available Sebastian Vettel, and with Laurence Stroll as the team owner, he was never going to replace Lance Stroll with the four-time Formula 1 World Champion. For 2021, Stroll and Vettel will race in Green.
Jordan, Midland and Spyker
Changing owners behind the scenes and a change of name is not unknown to the Aston Martin F1 team.
In 1991 Jordan Grand Prix appeared on the grid, with Eddie Jordan as owner. Every year, they seemed to have a different engine supplier in the car. But, the race team managed to get a spot in the middle of the grid during the nineties. In 1999 the best result was achieved when Damon Hill and Heinz-Harald Frentzen took third place among the constructors. Frentzen was clearly the better of the two, with two victories to his name and a total of six podium finishes.
After the turn of the millennium the bad results and financial problems piled up and the bomb burst after the 2004 season. The team was bought up, kept the name Jordan Grand Prix in 2005, but was renamed Midland F1 Racing one season later. Dutchman Christijan Albers and Portugueseman Tiago Monteiro formed the driver duo in the few years Midland appeared on the gird.
With an orange livery, Spyker appeared on the grid in the 2007 season. But even this name change was not accompanied by a much better financial situation, which made Spyker F1 disappear after only one point in 2007. Michiel Mol and Vijay Mallya took over the team and renamed the race team Force India.
Best of the rest
Success in Formula 1 takes time and in the case of Force India many seasons. In 2008 the team didn't take a single championship point, but in the following years that number increased slowly.
With Adrian Sutil as a permanent force, the team managed to settle in the middle of the championship, after which the German was exchanged for Nico Hulkenberg. One season later that change was undone and Hulkenberg was allowed to stay for a longer period of time. This time next to Sergio Perez.
Force India benefits from the powerful Mercedes engine which can be found in the back of the car (as the German manufacturer is dominant from the beginning of the hybrid V6 era). In the last year that Hulkenberg and Perez formed a partnership, the fourth place among the manufacturers is achieved. A trick that is repeated one year later in 2017 with Esteban Ocon alongside Sergio Perez.
Rebirth in the Ardennes
In 2018, the financial problems begin to become more and more prominent, visible to outsiders. Updates for the car are not forthcoming and Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez have to drive extremely carefully to avoid damaging new parts: There are no spare parts.
A new owner surfaced during the race weekend in Belgium, but not the expected Rich Energy. The energy drinks manufacturer is sidelined and Lawrence Stroll, the father of Williams-racer Lance Stroll, is put in charge of the race team. Together with a number of other investors, Force India is bought and renamed Racing Point.
Under the name Racing Point Force India F1 Team, the cars appeared at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix and immediately gained points after a chaotic start. All the points that Force India had achieved up to that point were removed. After the weekend in the Ardennes, the new team managed to gain points and finished the season in seventh place.
With Lawrence Stroll as the owner of the team, the switch from Lance Stroll to Racing Point F1 will also come. The Canadian replaced Esteban Ocon and will have to prove himself next to Sergio Perez. Due to financial problems, the racers with a billionaire at the helm don't have to worry anymore, so an fight to become 'best of the rest' in P4 can start again.
Racing Point F1 in 2020
After a difficult first year under the new owners, the Silverstone team will aim for the top of midfield again in 2020. This 'best of the rest' spot was taken often enough without a budget, but in 2019 the team saw Renault, McLaren and even Toro Rosso pass by. A deal was struck later in the year to confirm that Aston Martin would return to the grid in 2021.
Which engine is used by Aston Martin?
Aston Martin will be racing with the Mercedes engine in the back of the car.
