After a couple of weeks of speculation which hinted at the possibility of Aston Martin replacing 4-time-world champion Sebastian Vettel, the Silverstone based team has announced its driver lineup for the 2022 season as F1 enters a new era of ground-effect aerodynamics. Lance Stroll predictably is retained as he is also the son of Lawrence Stroll who is the owner of the Aston Martin F1 team. Vettel's reinstatement is also on expected lines considering he was the big-ticket grab for the team last year and has already put the team on the podium at Baku and save for the fuel-related disqualification he would have come P2 even in Hungary. This announcement comes after Aston Martin broke ground on the construction of its new factory which will be the first one by an F1 team in the UK since the creation of the McLaren technology centre.
Lawrence Stroll's investment saved the former Force India F1 team
"I am really looking forward to racing the new generation of F1 cars. Their look is very different and the new technical regulations should give us cars that can race much more closely than recently. More exciting racing will be great for the drivers as well as for the fans. The changes are so big that every team will be starting from a new beginning, so it will be a great opportunity for us at Aston Martin. I believe in the strength of our new growing team, so I am already looking forward to 2022," said 4-time world champion Sebastian Vettel who has scored more points than his teammate in the 2021 season.
Aston Martin which was previously Racing Point in the 2020 season came in P4 last year, but dropped from the field this year and has been chasing the likes of AlphaTauri and Alpine who were handily beaten by the team. This has not satisfied Lawrence Stroll who has grand ambitions of the team winning world championships in the next 5 years.
"Next season I will be embarking on my sixth year in F1, alongside my teammate Sebastian. We started this Aston Martin team campaign together and I greatly look forward to continuing the journey with him next year," said Lance Stroll who is also Lawrence Stroll's son. 2021 will be his fourth year with the team.
"We have not achieved what we set out to do this year, but that has only amplified our hunger and drive for success next season. Now, with the prestige and support of Aston Martin, and the brilliant new sponsor-partners that such a prestigious brand has attracted, we are well-positioned to improve our performance in 2022," he added.
Aston Martin is tottering right now in the midfield
Aston Martin has raided a lot of technical talent from Red Bull which positions it well to develop its car while it also has a technical relationship with Mercedes as it uses its powertrain which has proven to be the best one in the turbo-hybrid era of the sport.
"Lance is one of the most gifted drivers in modern Formula 1, and to that raw talent he is now adding serious racecraft. A four-time world champion, having driven 271 Grands Prix, of which he has won 53, Sebastian is also a massive asset to our team, and next year we expect both of them to race well in what will be a very different formula from the current one," said Otmar Szafnauer, the CEO of the F1 team.
