Fraser MasefieldThe recent news that Racing Point is to be rebranded as the Aston Martin F1 Team from the 2021 season onwards brought no shortage of excitement across the F1 paddock and for fans of the sport.
Of course, beyond the rebranding with the famous Aston Martin name attached to the team comes the ambition of doing that badge justice and becoming one of the top teams on the grid. And, in a recent interview released by Racing Point, team principal Otmar Szafnauer reveals that it is an important goal to do just that.
“The team has been in business, under various names, for 30 years and is more than ready to become a manufacturer team,” said Szafnauer. “Lawrence [Stroll] spoke to the staff last week and set out the clear objective to establish Aston Martin as one of the top teams in the sport. Everyone is proud to represent a legendary car manufacturer returning to the pinnacle of motorsport.”
There's a fresh energy in the air at Silverstone 💪
Otmar explains 👇https://t.co/qXqcHILZ8L pic.twitter.com/CGSTp30hMR
— SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team (@RacingPointF1) February 11, 2020
For now, the focus will be on building upon two encouraging seasons as the team rebuilt its identity during the transition from Force India to Racing Point. And with the experienced Sergio Perez once more joining forces with the talented Lance Stroll, hopes are high for the 2020 season, that kicks off in Melbourne on March 13. Before that, the Racing Point team will launch its new season challenger, the RP20 on Monday 17 February in Mondsee, Austria.
“There’s no immediate impact on our current campaign and we will continue to compete as Racing Point until the rebrand takes place at the start of the 2021 season,” added Szafnauer. “From then we will be known simply as ‘Aston Martin F1 Team’ – so the Racing Point name will disappear. It’s exciting to transition into a manufacturer team and we’ve got the best part of a year to make all those changes – much of which will be happening behind-the-scenes. It’s important we don’t take our eyes off the main task for 2020, which is to be competitive on the racetrack with the RP20.”
When you realise there's only one week left until the launch… 😱🤩#MakeItCount #F1 pic.twitter.com/C9Kc1BXJdG
— SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team (@RacingPointF1) February 10, 2020
Craig Scarborough
Motorsport Technology