Aston Martin celebrates 100 years since its first Grand Prix with a roaring return to the 1920s.

Aston Martin Centenary Celebration at the French Grand Prix

• The TT1 – nicknamed the “Green Pea” – returns to France with Sebastian Vettel, 100 years after its racing debut in 1922.
• The Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula OneTM Team will race with the original Aston Martin badge on its cars, in the week that the brand reveals its updated new brand icons – the wings.
• July 21, 2022 – Castellet, France: A century after its racing debut, Aston Martin’s original Grand Prix car roared back to the French Grand Prix today for a thrilling celebrity lap.

Aston Martin is celebrating the centenary of its first challenge at the 1922 French Grand Prix, and no current Formula 1® manufacturer can boast such an early history of competing at the highest level.

Ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix, four-time F1® World Champion Sebastian Vettel had the opportunity to drive the TT1 – affectionately known as the “Green Pea” – around the Circuit Paul Ricard, 100 years after the historic car took to the Strasbourg road circuit for the 60-lap, 800-kilometre race as one of two Aston Martin cars.

The cars were built by founder Lionel Martin at the request of wealthy young racing driver and pioneer Count Louis Zborowski, who invested £10,000 in their construction and the development of an all-new 16-valve, twin overhead cam racing engine. The TT1 and TT2 were originally intended for the 1922 Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy), but due to delays, they made their international debut at the French Grand Prix on July 15, 1922, with Zborowski as co-driver of the TT1. He later designed the "Chitty Bang Bang" car, which inspired the book, film, and musical Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang.

Sebastian Vettel, driver of the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula OneTM Team, said: “It was an incredible honour to drive this car, exactly 100 years after it last stood on the starting line at the French Grand Prix.

“The Green Pea holds a very special place in Aston Martin’s heritage, and when you sit behind the wheel you can almost feel this century of history at your fingertips.”

“The racing spirit and will to win is what defines Aston Martin and it’s fantastic to celebrate this this weekend as we combine Green Pea and our motorsport heritage with the cutting-edge technology and performance of today’s AMR22 car.”

This weekend, the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One™ Team will race with the original 1913 Aston Martin logo on the hood of its cars, reflecting the brand depicted on the Green Pea. The symbolic change comes in a week when Aston Martin is introducing a bold new creative identity, including a contemporary update to its iconic wing logo, created by the manufacturer's world-renowned design team in collaboration with renowned British art director and graphic designer Peter Saville. The new Aston Martin wings are featured on the sides of the AMR22 car.

The first Aston Martin Grand Prix car, equipped with a 1,486cc engine, developed around 55bhp at 4,200rpm. The car – built with voiturette-style bodywork – weighed 750kg, 45kg less than today's Challenger AMR22. It had a top speed of 85mph and had two seats, one pushed back, in accordance with Grand Prix regulations at the time, to accommodate the on-board mechanic, who was an essential member of the team, not least because of his job of pressurizing the fuel tank via a hand pump.

The experience was thrilling enough for the fledgling team, based on Abingdon Road, Kensington, to continue their Grand Prix journey and pave the way for Aston Martin’s future successes in international motor racing.

Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin and owner of the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula OneTM Team, said: “Aston Martin boasts the earliest Grand Prix history of any manufacturer currently racing in F1 and we are proud to celebrate this this weekend, 100 years after our debut at the French Grand Prix.”

"We were born on the racetrack, performance is in our DNA, and that's something we're instilling in Aston Martin through our return to Grand Prix racing with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One™ Team. We continue our ascent together, following in the footsteps of those who paved the way. I believe we can all look forward to many more seasons of intense competition in what is now nothing short of a global sporting phenomenon."

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