Tag: Motorsport News

Aston Martin has revealed its all new safety and medical car ahead of the start of the 2021 F1 season, with it now sharing duties with Mercedes at race events. 

The introduction comes as no surprise given Mercedes and Aston Martin’s relationship has developed strongly over the past year or so. Within that time frame, Mercedes has increased its stake in Aston Martin to 20% while also allowing Aston Martin to raid its powertrain and electric/electronic architecture departments amongst other technologies.

The new safety car is an Aston Martin Vantage, which features a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine from Mercedes-AMG. Here it’s been given a spruce up with an extra 24hp, bumping its power to 528hp. A new vane grille and front splitter generate as much as 155kg of downforce at 124mph, which equates to some 60kg more than the regular Vantage makes at the same speed.

Instead of the single infotainment screen, there are now two digital displays, one with a live television feed of the race, the other with vehicle statistics, lap timing of the F1 cars and where their positions are on the track.

A variety of other tech is on board, this includes controls for the LED lightbar, siren and radio communications, as well as the FIA Marshalling System, telling the driver which sections of the track are flagged.

The medical car comes in the form of the Aston Martin DBX. Using a version of the same twin-turbo V8 engine, it produces 525hp and will hit 181mph. On board is a whole host of medical equipment, fire extinguishers and a defibrillator.

Live vital medical information from the drivers gloves is also fed to the medical car in the event of a collision to help diagnose the condition of the driver.

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said: “We are very pleased to announce our new partnership with both Aston Martin and Mercedes-AMG to provide the Official Safety and Medical Cars to the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.”

Tobias Moers, CEO of Aston Martin Lagonda, said: “Together with the whole company, I am extremely proud of the Aston Martin brand’s return to Formula 1, the pinnacle of motorsport, for the first time in more than 60 years and represents the start of a significant new era for Aston Martin.

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McLaren became the first F1 team to unveil its 2021 F1 race car with the Mercedes-AMG powered McLaren MCL35M.

The car will be driven by a new driver pairing in Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris for 2021, with Daniel and Lando getting their first taste of the McLaren MCL35M during a testing session at Silverstone on February 16.

Let’s go! ⏫🟢 #SendIt @LandoNorris takes the #MCL35M out on track for the first time at @SilverstoneUK. pic.twitter.com/xdgIcLFviJ

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) February 16, 2021

Visually, the McLaren MCL35M looks almost entirely the same as the 2020 car, thanks to a ruling by the FIA that forced teams to use modified versions of their 2020 chassis ahead of the introduction of new cars in 2022.

Underneath, though, there’s a pretty big change. McLaren announced that it would stop using the Renault power unit and instead switch pack to using Mercedes-AMG engines.

McLaren Team Principal, Andreas Seidl, said: “The entire team has worked hard over the short winter, together with our colleagues from Mercedes-AMG, to produce the MCL35M and provide a strong car for our drivers to race this year.

“This has been no small challenge, and I want to thank every member of our team, whether at the MTC or working remotely, for the massive effort they’ve put in. Lando and Daniel will, I know, do their very best to represent the team out on track.”

The F1 2021 pre-season testing will take place at Bahrain International Circuit on March 12-14, with the start of the F1 season coming on March 28 at Bahrain.

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Power Maxed Racing have today re-confirmed that Jason Plato will again pilot one of their race winning Vauxhall Astras in the 2021 KwikFit British Touring Car Championship.

The Championship stalwart, who won the final race of the 2019 season in his Power Maxed Car Care Racing Astra, had taken a 12-month sabbatical from racing during the current pandemic. Two-time BTCC Champion Plato, who holds the record for most touring car victories, is aiming to win his 100^th race in 2021 with the team.

The stalwart will find himself making his 600th race start at the season’s opening round at Thruxton, on May 9th, and will once again wear the branding of long-term Partner, Adrian Flux Insurance Services.

Following the single car entry for the team last season, which saw a number of up and coming drivers given the opportunity to drive a race winning car in the UK’s most popular championship, Power Maxed Car Care Racing have confirmed a two car entry for this year, with the second driver yet to be announced.

Jason Plato, Power Maxed Racing Car #11 – “Obviously 2020 was less than ideal for many of us, but, for me at least, it gave me time to put a lot of things into perspective. I was lucky enough to be able to spend a lot more time than I normally would at home with the family, but I’m itching to get back in a race car now. It’s the longest I’ve been without racing, and it’s made me appreciate just how much I love it, and I have really missed my team. I’m excited about the future with Power Maxed Racing, and winning the final race in ’19 has lit a fire underneath me, so I’m more than ready to get back out and win my 100^th race!”

Adam Weaver, Team Principal – “Last year was a very strange one for us – not fighting in the top ten of the points isn’t something we’re used to, but it was great to get some new talent in the car. Following on from Jason’s success at the end of 2019, coupled with the extensive development programme we’ve been working on over the winter, I’m feeling cautiously optimistic about some strong results in 2021 and beyond. And, obviously, Jason bagging his unparalleled 100^th win in the Astra!”

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