The journey to the grid is almost complete and the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team has completed one of its most significant milestones: Formula One’s 2021 pre-season testing.
Testing is a huge undertaking. While the unveiling of the AMR21 was a historic and exciting moment both in the team and Aston Martin’s history, preparations for testing were already well underway.
After the team flew out to Sakhir for the pre-season test on the Tuesday before testing, a feat made all the more challenging by the ongoing global situation, a whirlwind week was ahead.
The goal of testing is simple, making sure the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team is as prepared as it possibly can be for the season-opening race.
With just three days of running compared to last year’s six, time is of the essence. But it’s not just about sending Sebastian and Lance out on track for lap after lap.
Behind the scenes
Few things in Formula One are more secretive than testing, but we’ve pulled back the veil to give a true insight into the incredible work behind the scenes during testing in Bahrain.
For Sebastian, it was also about increasing his familiarity with the team and getting up to speed with not just the AMR21, but how the team operates.
In Lance’s case, the focus was on learning the AMR21, while also truly beginning his on- and off-track relationship with his new team-mate.
None of this is possible without the hundreds of men and women involved in every step of the process, whether back at the factory or trackside. Whether it’s reacting to any setbacks and implementing fixes in the garage or going over data back at the factory, testing truly tests all involved.
Put simply, to get thousands of kilometres of useful running in 24 hours on track, you need to execute your testing programme as efficiently as possible.
It’s not just about on-track moments either, the drivers conduct media sessions and work with Formula One to provide so many of the elements that make broadcasting a season so exciting.
For key technical staff, such as CEO & Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer and Technical Director Andrew Green, it’s about leading debriefs and working with the drivers to extract the full potential of the AMR21.
Testing is Formula One at its core: the constant striving for innovation and the rewards of clever thinking, driving a team forward.
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