The successful Aston Martin Racing team has called time on its direct involvement in the World Endurance Championship.
It comes after the outfit secured both the GTE Drivers’ and GTE Manufacturers’ championship titles for the 2019-20 season, with the Vantage.
An end to the nine-year run has been brought about by Aston Martin’s intended return to the Formula 1 grid for 2021.
Going out on a GTE high
Aston Martin has been a mainstay of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) since the series was formed in 2012. Two versions of the Vantage GTE race car have been used, competing across seven WEC seasons.
During that time, the Aston Martin Racing team has recorded a considerable 47 class victories, with 103 podiums in total. This had led to nine individual championship wins and, perhaps most significantly, four 24 Hours of Le Mans class victories.
Customer teams around the world have made use of the Vantage GTE in 323 races, amassing 62 first-place finishes.
In such a competitive format that maximises close racing, to achieve an almost 20 percent win rate is highly impressive.
Customers to keep racing on
For 2021 and beyond, it will be these customer teams that Aston Martin will rely on to keep the Vantage GTE successful.
Aston Martin has reached a new agreement with motorsport engineering firm, Prodrive. The British-based company will continue to build and supply the current version of the Vantage GTE, letting teams around the world keep racing.
Customer teams will be particularly supported in tackling prestigious ‘blue riband’ events. These include the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship, Intercontinental GT Challenge, and GT World Challenge.
A new Aston Martin focus for 2021
Driving the change in GTE racing strategy is the return of the Aston Martin Racing name to Formula 1, for the first time in six decades. The team last competed as an F1 manufacturer in 1960, but did investigate options for returning to the sport in 2010.
Instead, the team has acted as a title sponsor for the Red Bull Racing team. The two companies collaborated on a number of projects, including the Valkyrie hypercar.
The new Aston Martin Racing F1 team will be a rebranding of the current Racing Point outfit. Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll is a co-owner of Racing Point, and also a major investor in Aston Martin itself.
His son, Lance Stroll, and four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel will drive for the Aston Martin F1 team in 2021.
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