Aston Martin keeps Vettel, Stroll
Unchanged line-up for British squad in 2022 Construction of new factory begins
FOUR-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and his team-mate Lance Stroll have been retained by the Aston Martin F1 squad for 2022, it was confirmed last week.
In a team statement, Vettel said: “I’m really looking forward to racing the new generation of Formula 1 cars... the new technical regulations should give us cars that can race much more closely... the changes are so big that every team will be starting from a new beginning, so it will be a great opportunity for us.”
Aston Martin chairman Lawrence Stroll added: “We have made good progress over the past few months, and both Lance and Sebastian have delivered some excellent performances. In 2022, we are delighted to be continuing with such an excellent blend of talent and experience.”
The Silverstone squad’s announcement means that the second Alfa Romeo seat, alongside Valtteri Bottas, is now the only remaining vacancy on next year’s grid. Alpine’s junior driver Guanyu Zhou is thought to be the favoured candidate.
In addition to confirming its 2022 drivers, Aston Martin has also broken ground on a new factory and wind tunnel at its Silverstone base, where the team has been headquartered throughout its various incarnations as Jordan, Midland, Spyker, Force India and Racing Point.
Construction of the new 400,000-squarefoot facility is expected to take 18 months; it comes as the team has “outgrown its existing facilities and will rapidly grow its current headcount by the expected completion in late 2022 or early 2023”.
Three units will make up the new base: one housing the design, manufacturing and marketing departments; a second housing the wind tunnel; and a third redeveloping the existing premises as a hub featuring staff amenities and a logistics centre.
Investment in the factory is seen as a strong statement of intent from Stroll that Aston Martin will be in Formula 1 for the long haul and aims to challenge for world titles within the next few seasons.