Aston Martin Racing is coming into its second campaign with the Vantage AMR, which it introduced during the 2018/19 Super Season. With Season 8 of the FIA World Endurance Championship kicking off this Sunday with the 4 Hours of Silverstone, the team is aiming for title contention with the developed car.
Aston Martin struggled during the Super Season, with the new car noticably off pace at the start of the season compared to its rivals. As the season progessed, the squad was able to pick up two victories at Shanghai and Spa-Francorchamps. It also claimed pole position for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but ended the season fourth, only ahead of BMW.
With BMW and Ford now out, the team's challengers come in the form of Porsche and Ferrari. The British marque is once again entering two Vantage AMRs, with an unchanged GTE Pro driver line-up. Marco Sorensen and Nicki Thiim team up again in the #95, while the #97 will once again be piloted by Maxime Martin and Alex Lynn.
“It’s been a short break and now we are straight into the new season and I can’t wait! It’s been a long season, which people forget – more like than one and a half years – but the car has only done one season and I think we should be really proud of what we have achieved already," Thiim commented. "We had two victories in the first season and we have learned a lot. Porsche is bringing a new car this year and Ferrari has not been sleeping, but I am pretty sure the gains we can make in the new season will make us real contenders in the championship."
Thiim will once again be forming the infamous Dane Train together with compatriot Sorensen. After taking pole at Le Mans, Sorensen is pretty clear about his targets for season 8: "We are going to go all in because we want that team and drivers' championship more than anything! I think from the #95 crew at least it’s going to be all guns blazing to take as many points and as many wins as we possibly can and we are both really determined to do that. We have prepared well and I know that we are more than ready to carry the fight for Aston Martin."
Aside from being the season opener, the 4 Hours of Silverstone also carries the distinction of being the home race for Aston Martin, with the manufacturer's Gaydon headquarters some 30 miles west of the circuit. The significance of home ground is not lost on Alex Lynn, the marque's only British GTE Pro driver.
"Racing at your home circuit is always a very special feeling and to be starting my second season with Aston Martin Racing makes it all that little bit more important to me," Lynn said. "That being said, from our side, there is now no room for sentimentality. We should have all the tools at our disposal to put ourselves in championship contention and we must ensure that we do everything to get in a position to maximise this opportunity."
Lynn claimed victory during the snow-affected Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps last May. For Season 8, the Brit is once again teaming up with Belgium's Maxime Martin. The Belgian is also pretty clear on where he thinks the team should place their aims.
“I’m definitely looking forward to the new season. The Super Season was quite long with some up and some downs, but we worked hard as a team and we improved a lot through the campaign," Martin said. "We are coming in to Silverstone far better prepared and with a better package than last year. It’s going to be a really tough fight with Ferrari and Porsche, they are really competitive, and as a team we will have to put everything together to be able to win and to try and be at the front."
"The target for everybody is to win the championship this year with the Vantage GTE. Silverstone is the first race of the season, but it is also the home race of the brand and the team. It’s very exciting, and it’s also a new format. Four hours only so it is changing a little bit to last year, but I think we have a good package and we can look forward to some real highs."
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