George Russell has labelled Aston Martin as potential Formula 1 title contenders this year, branding its Adrian Newey-designed car as “spectacular”.
The Silverstone-based squad got heads turning, eyes squinting and tongues wagging when its AMR26 pulled out of its garage for the first time at last week’s pre-season test at Barcelona.
Featuring some classic Newey hallmarks and some radical characteristics, the AMR26 is the standout car on the grid in terms of originality in its design, aligned with the new regulations.
Having been spawned from Newey’s famed drawing board, the car has placed increased expectation on Aston, as it also begins a new power unit partnership with Honda.
The Japanese giants may feel added pressure, given that Aston ditched previous provider Mercedes for it, and the German marque’s PU is so far considered the best of the bunch.
Its supposed superiority is making Russell an early favourite for the title supremacy this year, but he believes that Aston could join the fold of potential suitors to reigning champions McLaren’s crown.
“I think the Aston Martin was probably the most standout in terms of the car design,” Russell told select media including Motorsport Week.
“I think everybody was looking at that rear suspension and it obviously visually looks very impressive, but it’s not a competition of how sexy it is, it’s a competition of how fast it goes around the track.
“So, people always look towards the fastest car, and we’ll find that out in Melbourne, and whoever that is, that will be the car that you wish to try and take inspiration from.”
Russell hopeful for 2010-style F1 title fight with Aston Martin primed
“I think the best case scenario for the sport, and also for the drivers, is that you’ve got a number of different drivers and a number of different teams all battling it out,” he noted.
“I think at the moment, it does look like Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and ourselves are, let’s say, the four teams that are all quite close within one another.
“But, you can’t discount what you’ve seen from Aston Martin, and what Adrian has done with that car. It’s looked pretty spectacular.
“And Honda, over the past few years with Red Bull, have had a very good engine beneath them, so we also know what they’re capable of. So, that would be awesome to see, a big fight.
“I remember it was 2012 [or] 2010, I think it was, when you had the McLarens, Fernando [Alonso] and the Red Bulls all fighting. That’s what the sport is about, and that’s what we hope it will be about this year.”
Aston’s late appearance at the test left them last in terms of completed laps, but will working to be ready for next week’s first official pre-season test schedule in Bahrain.
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