The Aston Martin Vantage GTE Looks Mean as Hell
Aston Martin is preparing to go racing in the 2018-2019 FIA WEC Super Season with its new Vantage GTE racecar, and is also doubling down on F1.
The Vantage GTE is of course based on the new-for-2018 Vantage road car and as such is powered by the same Mercedes-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine. The FIA requires each GTE car to be built to the same specifications, so things like the aerodynamics and power output are decided based on the class rules. The new Vantage will have big expectations to live up to after Aston Martin won the GTE Pro class with its V12 Vantage GTE at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last year. Aston Martin and its new car will get the first taste of on-track WEC action at the official ‘Prologue’ test in April.
In addition to a new GTE Pro program, Aston Martin has also signed on with Formula 1’s Red Bull Racing as a title sponsor in 2018. The newly christened Aston Martin Red Bull Racing will take to the track for the first time this weekend at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix from Melbourne. Drivers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo have returned for 2018 and will get behind the wheel of the RB14 F1 car on Thursday for free practice.
SEE ALSO: Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer is a Total Badass
Aston Martin may only be getting started with its F1 involvement. In a release, the automaker said it “continues to evaluate whether future F1 regulations might create the right conditions for it to enter as an engine manufacturer in 2021.” Company CEO Andy Palmer added that it’s preparing design drafts ahead of the release of the final engine regulations later this year or in 2019, and is awaiting cost-per-unit estimations.
“We don’t expect to see the final draft regulations published before the end of the year, but we are preparing our engine concepts so that we don’t lose any time,” Palmer said. “If we get that simplified engine and we get a cap on costs, then that is something that we are very interested in doing.”
So if you’re a fan of Aston Martin and motorsports, these next five years are looking up. You can catch the Aston Martin-sponsored RB14 on track in Australia this weekend, while the Vantage GTE will enjoy its competition debut at the 6 Hours of Spa in early May.
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Sam McEachern holds a diploma in journalism from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, and has been covering the automotive industry for over 5 years. He conducts reviews and writes AutoGuide's news content. He's a die-hard motorsports fan with a passion for performance cars of all sorts.
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