Ex-Ferrari Engineer Believes Aston Martin Will Be A Force To Be Reckoned With

Aston Martin Racing will be looking to compete at the sharp end of the field from the get-go after a strong 2020 campaign as Racing Point.

Aston Martin F1 Car Concept Sebastian Vettel - article by Suliman Mulhem

F1 fans are eagerly awaiting the start of the 2021 season, with plenty to look forward to, including countless driver moves, revised regulations and two teams changing their names.

Specifically, Renault will be rebranded Alpine, while Racing Point will compete as Aston Martin Racing – and it’s the latter of these moves which is most anticipated.

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The team’s signing of four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel is a clear indication of their growing ambition in Formula One, and, a former Ferrari F1 engineer has said he believes that the team has “bigger plan” to make itself competitive.

“I think Aston Martin is a very interesting project to keep an eye on for the future. I think there is also a bit of shifting of important people behind the scenes in Formula 1,” Ernest Knoors told RTLGP.

“It’s a bit of a guess if you’re not really in it, but I do suspect that more is happening at Aston Martin than we are seeing now, that there is a bigger plan behind it.

“Aston Martin already has cars in other championships and there is quite a bit of involvement from AMG engineers there. Those are things that do point in a certain direction, let me put it this way,” the former Ferrari F1 engineer added.

Earlier, Aston Martin Racing team principal Otmar Szafnauer said he believes they can have a strong maiden season under their new name.

“We’ve had almost a year of preparation to reach this point and we’re really looking forward to seeing the reaction when we finally unveil our new identity as the Aston Martin Formula 1 Team,” Szafnauer said.

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“Representing such an iconic brand is a huge privilege for every member of the team. We’ve earned a well-deserved reputation for punching above our weight, so we’re confident we can do the Aston Martin name proud right from the get-go,” he added.

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