The new generation of Formula One is here, and Aston Martin is the first team to actually have the balls to show off its real race car. Haas showed off a mostly fake car as a render last week, and Red Bull launched little more than a new livery on an FIA display car, but Aston pulled up to the plate and knocked this shit out of the park. Aston understood the assignment.

While it’s possible, likely even, that the new car will evolve extremely quickly across testing and the first few races of the 2022 season, Aston looks to have started off with a pretty great base. Considering how much the Lawrence Stroll is investing in the-team-formerly-known-as-Jordan-Grand-Prix, it’s no surprise that the team is coming out of the gate swinging. Not only is the car shown here the actual running car that will start the season, but it’ll be on track on Friday afternoon running exhibition laps at the factory.

It’s hard to tell right now, but this AMR22 might go down as one of the best looking F1 cars in decades. Bits of it are angry, bits of it are swoopy and calm, and the whole thing works together as a cohesive design. I particularly love the cooling vents on the side pods, and truly hope we see more of that on the grid this year. The cooling vents allow the Aston to be extremely slender at the back, as all the heat doesn’t need to exit the car at the back.

I also really hope this car works, because with the new BRG over eye-searing neon yellow-green livery, it’ll look pretty damn cool on television, let alone in person. I have typically not been a Sebastian Vettel fan, but the lad managed an incredible redemption arc in 2021 after several years under the oppressive Ferrari and Red Bull regimes. This year I actually hope he does really well. I would like to see Lance Stroll do... his best.

Ultimately I’m disappointed that the pink trim is gone from last year, but the yellow-green is a good replacement, and should make the cars pop on the grid. It’s not boring.