Track-ready Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition revealed

The 2021 Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition has made its world debut, bringing the same engine, chassis and aerodynamic upgrades announced earlier this month for the Formula 1 Safety Car – the car on which it’s based.

Emerging just a few days after it was teased last week, Aston Martin’s new F1-inspired Vantage Coupe and Roadster are now on sale in the UK, where first deliveries commence in May priced from £142,000 ($A254K).

Australian pricing is yet to be announced ahead of first local deliveries in the fourth quarter of this year, but based on the same £18K or nine per cent premium over the standard Aston Martin Vantage auto coupe ($299,950 plus on-road costs), expect to pay about $327K for the F1 Edition here.

Claimed to offer racetrack performance on the road, following a development program that aimed to “significantly improve lap time performance”, the F1 Edition is said to be the most circuit-focused production Vantage ever.

It brings the same upgrades seen on the official F1 Safety Car, which makes its debut at the Bahrain GP this weekend, led by a 19kW increase in peak power – from 375kW to 394kW – from its Mercedes-AMG sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.

Peak torque for the most powerful Vantage ever – the first core Aston model to benefit from input by new CEO, former AMG chief Tobias Moers, remains unchanged at 685Nm, but Aston says it is “sustained for longer to further increase tractability and in-gear urgency”.

There is no manual transmission (an optimised eight-speed automatic transmission will be standard), no roll cage, no six-point harness, no unforgiving bucket race seats, no aggressive tyres and no upgraded cooling system, as seen on the Aston Martin GT4 racer.

But the road going safety car replica – designed to celebrate the British car-maker’s return to Formula 1 for the first time in over 60 years – does bring a chassis and aero package designed to improve circuit performance without compromising on-road capability.

Aimed at those who use their Aston for track days, detailed underbody modifications are said to increase front structural stiffness, thereby improving steering feel and response.

Aston says reworked damper internals increase their effective force range, improving vertical body control without reducing low-speed compliance, while increased rear spring rates and lateral stiffness help sharpen turn-in, increase traction (especially over bumps) and match the more responsive front-end.

The only other chassis change is the shift from 20-inch to 210inch wheels and tyres for the first time, with lower-profile Pirelli rubber specifically designed to enhance feedback and provide progressive on-limit handling.

Completing the package is a new aero kit that Aston claims delivers positive front and rear downforce and “can be felt from the driver’s seat and measured against the clock”.

Totaling 200kg more downforce than the standard Vantage at top speed while also optimising overall balance, the body kit somprises a full-width front splitter, front dive planes, underbody turning vanes, and – most obviously – the new rear wing (the rear diffuser remains unchanged).

Available in both satin or gloss finishes, exterior paint colours include Racing Green (just like the safety car and the Aston Martin Cognizant F1 racer), plus Jet Black and Lunar White – all complimented by a Solid Matte Dark Grey racing graphic.

A vaned grille, 2x2 Twill Carbon Fibre exterior detailing, unique graphics, quad exhaust outlets and new-design Satin Black Diamond Turned alloys complete the exterior look.

Inside, there’s new Obsidian Black Leather and Phantom Grey Alcantara upholstery and trim, with the choice of Lime Green, Obsidian Black, Wolf Grey or Spicy Red contrast stripe and stitching.

“Performance is at the heart of every Aston Martin, but when it wears an F1 badge it has to be a truly exceptional car,” said Moers.

“Vantage was already the most focused sports car in our range but in the development of our official Safety Car of Formula 1, it had to be a true athlete: more powerful; more agile; more immediate and more exciting to drive.

“And – of course – quicker and more capable in a racetrack environment. I set the engineering team a tough target, as I was insistent that gains in performance came via genuine improvements in the car’s dynamics, and not by fitting track-optimised tyres.

“The results speak for themselves. A Vantage to appeal to the most discerning drivers and a new model that marks an exciting moment in Aston Martin’s history.”