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The Aston Martin AMR21 is the car that marks the return of the prestigious and historic British brand to the top international motor racing competition and embodies a double revolution. In fact, the internal reorganization of the team goes hand in hand a discreet revolution on a technical level, despite the team’s top management describing the car more as an evolution of the earlier Racing Point RP20. The Gaydon house technicians, however, managed to break free from the development limits imposed by the regulations, subverting some basic aspects of the car’s design philosophy.
The gallery dedicated to the Aston Martin AMR21 – PHOTO
Otmar Szafnauer, England team manager, had anticipated Sky Sport’s microphones in recent months that the two development tokens granted by the regulation would be invested in the chassis and, in particular, in the security cell. In fact, the first images of the AMR21 highlight the relocation of the upper anti-intrusion cones, the side impact protections placed on both sides of the cabin. In detail, Aston Martin has moved down the two side cones, which in their new position constitute the lower limit of the air intakes of the side radiators, while in 2020 they outlined the upper edge. In this way, the English team conforms to the most widespread philosophy in the paddock, with the dual intention of reacting to the aerodynamic restrictions introduced in 2021 and continuing the evolutionary path in this area undertaken last season, which will be appreciated later.
Lowering the anti-intrusion cone (1) side air inlet is thinner and rounder compared to 2020 spec, but at the same time it deviates slightly from the forms of the Mercedes. Inevitably, the radiator inlet has shifted slightly upward, thus allowing repositioning of the cooling system components within the bellies to streamline the frame in the lower section. In this way, a greater surface area of the bottom is released, which translates into an increase in the flow of air in the lower part of the car directed towards the rear, which translates into greater downforce.
This feature becomes even more relevant in 2021, as the double triangular cut on both sides of the bottom imposed by the new technical regulation increases the front surface of the bottom in relation to the rear. In fact, it has been seen that some of the teams presented so far have studied solutions to maximize the aerodynamic effectiveness of the most advanced part of the bottom.
Unlike the Mercedes, the lateral end of the continuation of the anti-intrusion cone is not curved downwards, but has a more rectilinear geometry (2). With the narrowing and lifting of the radiator vents also an additional opening needed to be inserted below the primary air inlet (3), absent from Racing Point 2020.
A completely new hood
The shape of the bonnet has been thoroughly revised after the repositioning of the anti-intrusion cones and therefore modifications to the cooling system. However, the shape of the pontoons behind the bellies remains particularly sloping (4), similar to what was seen on the 2020 car after the evolutionary step in Sochi. The goal is to exploit one of the basic principles of aerodynamics, the Coanda effect, which, thanks to the adherence of the flows to the carbon surfaces, allows a greater flow of air to be guided downwards, towards the bottom and the diffuser to increase the total load. The same feature is also noticeable in many of the cars presented so far.
A conspicuous bulge also seen on the new Mercedes stands out on the hood, which according to the reigning champion team’s technical director is attributable to new power unit solutions aimed at increasing the power released. Aston Martin, in fact, will be able to count on an updated power unit equipped with absolute novelties, as stated by Thomas hywel, Director of Mercedes High Performance Powertrains who is responsible for the development of the power unit and transmission: “We have also developed completely new innovations, which will be featured in the racing power unit for the first time.”. In this sense, you cannot help but notice how the English team drew a bonnet extremely adherent to internal components to maximize aerodynamic efficiency, like the Mercedes. Even with the same power unit, McLaren took a more conservative approach, as no bonnet bulge is seen on the MCL35M.
On the sides of the most advanced section of the body, the appendages present on the 2020 Racing Point (6) have been removed, helping to push the airflows down towards the bottom to increase the downforce generated by it. Its absence is attributable to the desire to hide certain solutions during the presentation, but it cannot be ruled out that the raised and slimmer radiator outlets with respect to last season require a greater intake of air.
Finally, the lower profile of the bonnet is again more rounded and regular (7), starting from the discontinuous geometry of the Racing Point at the end of the championship and approaching the configuration prior to the mid-season evolutionary step.
Work in the background
Aston Martin is among the teams that have hidden the least in solutions developed to compensate for the loss of downforce from below following changes in technical regulations. In fact, as of 2021 the blows and openings in the bottom that generated the vortex constituting the disappearance pneumatic miniskirt, widely used by equipment to seal the low-pressure area at the bottom of the external environment and thus preserve the efficiency of the bottom. With the arrival of the new year, the teams had to study new devices to partially recreate the seal effect. In the AMR21 you can see how they are present in the front part of the lower part three vortex generators (8), while the outer edge is somewhat irregular in an attempt to generate more eddies.
Near the rear wheel, the solutions adopted to counteract the rim jet (9), which identifies harmful turbulence generated by tire deformation when rolling and cornering. Numerous vertical appendages can be recognized in series, while two long carbon fins stand out on the inside.
Married to the rear Mercedes
The rear suspension has undergone many major updates. The editorial team of TheRace.com reported the words of the technical director Andrew Green, in which we learn how Aston Martin benefits from the rear of the 2020 Mercedes: “We changed the rear of the car, converting it to the 2020 suspension provided by Mercedes.”. The possibility of using an extra update regarding the development that can be implemented with the two available tokens derives from the folds of the regulation. In fact, the suspension group and the gearbox are among the transferable components between the teams and, having already been homologated in the last championship, they do not require any development that requires the investment of the two chips.
Therefore, the AMR21 will enjoy the significant aerodynamic benefits of the Mercedes suspension. In detail, the rear arm of the lower suspension triangle is anchored to the rear impact structure instead of the gearbox, a unique solution in the network in the last season and that allows you to remove an obstacle in the flow path at the rear. All this translates into a greater air flow that vents to the environment behind the car, therefore in a better extraction of the diffuser flows and an increase in the downforce released from the bottom. From the three-quarter images it is also seen how the arm of the suspension strut has been moved backwards (10), further improving the cleanliness of the flows directed to the diffuser.
2021 will see the debut of a new Pirelli tire specification, so teams have had to adapt the thermal management of the tires to keep them in the optimal temperature range. We have seen how various teams have redesigned the air intakes of the front brakes, in order to fine-tune the heat transfer between the braking system and the tire according to the new compounds. Aston Martin, on the other hand, was presented with the brake grips in the same configuration as in 2020, but it is not excluded that updates in this area may be visible during testing in Bahrain.
The rear wheels appear instead with a different geometry of the rim knurling, which goes from the 2020 lines to a discontinuous pattern. This is a small detail, which nevertheless speaks of the attention paid to the operation of the new tires. In all likelihood, in fact, the changes made are aimed at optimizing heat exchange and heat dissipation with the outside environment and thus also have an impact on the management of roof temperatures.
Aston Martin’s return to Formula 1 marks a historic moment for the category. The English brand inherits the good things expressed by Racing Point in past seasons, able to recover from the bottom and fight firmly for positions close to the world podium. The AMR21 embodies the ambitious spirit of the team, showcasing many important technical innovations which, combined with the collaboration with Mercedes, could be the source of various satisfactions during the next championship.
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