Just over a week ago, the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team revealed the AMR21 to the world in what was one of the most anticipated launches in recent Formula One history.
We were humbled by every message of support from fans all around the world and grateful for the media coverage. It’s this enthusiasm that drove us to create such an immersive launch experience for all.
The journey towards the launch has been a long time coming. While the 2020 Formula One season was heating up, the near-500 men and women who power our team were demonstrating their incredible dedication to the cause to ensure the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team hit the ground running ahead of the 2021 campaign.
Once the team officially arrived on January 1, 2021, we were already well on our way to creating an unforgettable experience on March 3 to truly announce the team, our goals and – the star of the show itself – the AMR21.
Go behind the scenes
Go behind the scenes of the AMR21's launch with Lance, Sebastian and the team to discover how we brought together the unmissable experience known as The Vault.
We’ve already covered the story of the AMR21’s development from design sketches to the physical car, but the journey to creating The Vault and the launch day experience requires a similar level of Formula One precision and attention to detail – all under the necessary but challenging COVID-19 restrictions and protocols.
Once the AMR21 had hit the chassis bays in January and undergone its first fire-up, the next stage in its journey could begin.
The car was painted in its striking 2021 Aston Martin Racing Green livery, complete with BWT-branded magenta highlights. Then, we began to highlight our incredible family of partners on the AMR21 through sponsor decals across our challenger.
The car was soon on its way to a secret location to undergo its photoshoot in late February – a major logistical challenge in which secrecy is the priority. It also requires close collaboration with production crews tasked with helping the AMR21 turn heads upon its reveal.
AMR21 launched
The Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team has unveiled the AMR21. Discover the first Aston Martin Grand Prix car since 1960.
The AMR21 would soon be back on the road, undercover, but in the meantime, a huge amount of work was taking place at Gaydon, the headquarters of Aston Martin Lagonda.
Here, at the home of the Vantage, DBX and a showcase of the incredible heritage of the brand, The Vault was being built. While The Vault was a virtual and immersive experience, it still required a dedicated team to set up the lighting, cameras and staging. Then there was the array of star talent involved including Gemma Arterton, Daniel Craig, Tom Brady, Santan Dave and more, who all played their part to help elevate the launch into an unmissable experience.
Every step of the launch journey was planned with a focus on the heart of Formula One – its fans. Throughout the year, we’ve made the decision to bring fans into the team at every step and pull back the veil on one of the most secretive sports.
We made sure our fans could secure their front-row seat to The Vault and witness history as the AMR21 was launched and we provided on-the-day support across our channels to make sure fans could take their place.
Without you, there's no us
We also harnessed the incredible support so far this year and collated your messages, videos and artwork into a video which starred in The Vault.
Alongside the drive to include our fans, we created several elements that gave a true insight into the ethos of Aston Martin.
Whether it was illustrating the design process of creating an Aston Martin – whether on the road or the racetrack– or creating a bespoke, intuitive AMR21 section on our website, this was no ordinary launch and required a collaborative effort across the entire team.
Explore the AMR21
A Formula One car is on the bleeding edge of technology, a staggeringly complex jigsaw of lightweight components and precision engineering. Discover how the sum of over 15,000 parts creates the AMR21 in our interactive deep dive into the car.
All this and more helped set the foundations for a milestone moment in the history of Aston Martin, returning to the Formula One grid 61 years after it competed in the 1960 British Grand Prix.
But in true Formula One fashion, the race never stops. Less than 24 hours after the launch, the team headed to Silverstone to give the AMR21 its first on-track laps – a fitting tribute as it returned to the scene of its last Grand Prix competition.
And in just under two weeks, Aston Martin will make its true return to Grand Prix racing and we’re incredibly grateful for every single person who has played their part in creating the first chapter of an exciting new era.
