We are not completely on-board with Aston Martin’s so-called return to Formula One. If you strip away the 21st-century fanfare and look back in time (to the 1959 and 1960 Formula One season) then you will find a heritage of failure. Aston Martin entered 6 races and the results were so miserable that they never returned to Formula One until their 2021 re-branding of the Racing Point team. And the AMR21 is a hand-me-down chassis of last year’s Mercedes W11 because Mercedes and Racing Point are currently linked together like two peas in a pod. And to celebrate this mind-numbing exercise in marketing deception Aston Martin has created a limited edition model, the aptly named Vantage F1 Edition.

It’s based on the new Aston Martin Vantage F1 safety car and is available in Coupe or Roadster body styles. It’s all rather frivolous stuff, but even we have to admit to being sold on the idea. The exterior receives a new aero kit which is made up of a rear wing, new front splitter, underbody tuning vanes all of which combine to add 220kg of downforce when approaching speeds above 88mph.

Customers have a choice of Aston Martin Racing Green, black or white with satin or gloss exterior finishes. Exterior graphics serve to add a bit of meat to the Aston Martin bone. The interior is finished in a mix of leather and Alcantara with a dayglow contrast strips and stitching to remind you that this Aston is like no other.

The Mercedes-supplied 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo receives a slight power upgrade. The extra 25bhp now yields a total of 535bhp while torque remains unchanged at 685Nm. With 21-inch boots strapped onto all four corners, the Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition will be that bit much faster. Prices start at £142,000 with first deliveries scheduled for May 2021.

So is the Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition Style over substance? yes absolutely now put me down for an order!