According to a media report, Red Bull will launch its 2020 car on February 12 - one day after Ferrari.

Twenty-two races, a record-equalling seventh championship up for grabs – and then the biggest threat to Mercedes’ domination yet. 2020 is set up to be an enthralling contest, but it’s easy to miss some of the other achievements up for grabs. Here are eight records that could be smashed in F1’s 70th anniversary season.

1. Race wins

Lewis Hamilton sits just seven race wins behind Michael Schumacher's record of 91, and – having averaged nine wins per season since joining Mercedes in 2013 (and being the only driver in history to have scored at least one win in every season he has competed) - the Briton has this record firmly in his sights. Schumacher, however, took just 248 GPs to achieve his 91 wins while Hamilton has started 250 ahead of the 2020 season, which shows just how dominant the Schumacher-Ferrari pairing was at the start of the century. Some thought this record might never be broken. Well, it just might.

2. Consecutive constructors’ championships

With number seven in their sights Mercedes are in contention to beat Ferrari's record set in 2004, as the Silver Arrows have taken six constructors’ titles in a row since 2014. Another one, and Mercedes could also become the first engine manufacturer to power seven consecutive drivers' championships since Ford-Cosworth did from 1968 to 1974.

3. Youngest world champion

With Ferrari and Red Bull bearing down on Mercedes, could this be the year that Ferrari's youngest winner Charles Leclerc or youngest ever GP winner Max Verstappen become the youngest champ in history? If either of the 22-year-olds wins it all, they will beat Sebastian Vettel’s record when he became world champion at the age of 23 years and 134 days in 2010.

4. Races finished in points

Michael Schumacher finished in the points a whopping 221 times between 1992 and 2008, but Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen are just eight behind the record. As for consecutive points scores, Hamilton holds this record already, having finished in the points for 33 consecutive races from the 2016 Japanese Grand Prix to the 2018 French GP. He sits on 33 consecutive point-scoring races ahead of the 2020 season, on a sequence that began at the 2018 British GP. Provided Mercedes avoid disaster in Australia (not entirely unheard of), then Hamilton could set a new record.

5. Races started

With 322 starts, Rubens Barrichello owns this record having started in 1993 and retired in 2011 – but Raikkonen is on 312 GP starts before the 2020 season. It’ll be the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix where the Iceman stands to break the record of most GP starts - and who would have thought that when his initial Ferrari dream ended in 2009?

6. Pole positions at the same race

Pole for Hamilton in Australia will give him a record nine pole positions at that venue, breaking the existing record jointly held by himself, Ayrton Senna and Schumacher for poles at one Grands Prix/one venue. Suprisingly, for all that success, Hamilton's conversion rate isn't actually that great Down Under, with just two wins scored in Melbourne.

7. Grands Prix won having led every lap

Ayrton Senna led every lap for 19 of his 41 Grand Prix victories, a record that Hamilton currently sits level on, having led every lap for the 2019 Chinese, Spanish, Monaco, French and Abu Dhabi GPs. The Grand Slam/Grand Chelem record (achieved when a driver scores pole, the fastest lap and leads every lap to win) is currently held by Jim Clark. Two more, and Hamilton could equal his fellow Briton who holds the record of eight Grand Slams.

8. Podium finishes

Just four off Schumacher’s record of 155 podiums (from 308 starts), Hamilton is on 151 going into the 2020 season – from just 250 starts. It’s surely just a matter of when the defending champion will break this record…

McLaren has lured one of Williams’ long-time sponsors, after signing a multi-year technical partnership with Unilever from the start of the 2020 F1 season.

Unilever had been with Williams since 2015, and had used its Formula 1 involvement with the Grove-based outfit to promote its Rexona brand.

But with the Williams contract coming to an end, the consumer brand has elected to move to McLaren, which is coming off the back of an encouraging 2019 campaign.

The deal between McLaren and Unilever will result in the two companies working together on projects that includes areas such as material science, sensor technology and the creation of an Engineering Academy.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has been close to Unilever for many years, with his former JMI company having helped broker the previous Unilever deal with Williams and an earlier one with Lotus.

Dave Penrith, chief engineer at Unilever said: “This is a very exciting partnership for both Unilever and McLaren. Together we will use our combined efforts to solve both current and future challenges with some of the best engineering minds in the world, and also develop the next level of talent within our companies.”

The Unilever company has around 400 brands, including Dove, Knorr, Rexona, Hellmann’s, Wall’s, Magnum and Axe.

In a Tweet, Williams said it wished Unilever well after their long-standing partnership.

Earlier this week, Williams announced an extended partnership with Canadian food manufacturer Sofina Foods, the company that was founded by driver Nicholas Latifi’s father Michael, for the 2020 season.

The company’s logo will appear on the rear wing of the Williams F1 car as well as team wear and driver overalls.

Williams has also announced a new deal with Italian coffee company Lavazza, which has been a long-time backer of Latifi.

It is now clear that all the rumours linking Lewis Hamilton to Scuderia Ferrari have been shot down. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Hamilton is close to signing a two-year contract extension with Mercedes.

The 6-time world champion was out of contract at the end of the 2020 season. However it is now apparent that Mercedes want to retain his services for even longer. This news comes on the back of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen committing to their respective teams in the long term.

Gazzetta journalist Luigi Perna broke the rumour of Hamilton’s contract extension talks. He wrote that the British driver is facing an extension until the end of the 2022 F1 season. Perna even revealed that the deal is reportedly worth 45m Euros a year, including bonuses.

It is believed that Leclerc and Verstappen being taken off the market prompted Mercedes to prioritise Lewis Hamilton. In 2020, the British driver is on the hunt for a seventh World Championship title.
Back in late 2019, Lewis Hamilton spoke about having to stay loyalty to Mercedes or jump ship to Scuderia Ferrari.“I know I look good in red,” Hamilton told Channel 4 last October. “But it’s a very, very difficult scenario.

“I’ve been with Mercedes since I was 13. Change is always cool but loyalty is everything, that is why I have this tattoo [on his left arm].

He confessed that he may not be in Formula One for very long and is contemplating his future in the sport. Last year, he even admitted that he was entertaining the thought of moving to Scuderia Ferrari. Adding more fuel to the fire was Mercedes, who admitted that they would not get in the way of a potential move to their rivals.

Tata Communications have decided to end an eight year partnership with Formula One, leaving the sport without a communications partner on the eve of the 2020 season.

It is reported that Tata Communications paid a figure in the region of $4million (£3.05m) annually after entering a partnership with the championship in 2012. In total, the Indian based company have splashed out $26m (£19.8) across the eight years.

“We have decided to bring to a close our marketing partnership with F1 and explore other platforms that will allow us to showcase the full power of our digital services to our key customers,” said a spokesperson for Tata Communications.

“We started this partnership in 2012 with the mission to digitally transform the sport whilst raising awareness of our global networking expertise amongst our enterprise customers. Our eight-year F1 journey, spanning 150+ races, was all about driving innovation in the sport.

“Over the years, we have evolved our services portfolio and capabilities, and – as we had achieved what we set out to do – we feel it’s the right time for us to conclude this marketing partnership.”

The company are continuing their relationship with MotoGP but also have several sponsorship ties with individual F1 teams such as Mercedes. No announcement has been made as to the future of these deals but, with the season only several weeks away, deals for 2020 should be locked into place by this point.

“We’re proud of the fact that for eight years, we played a central role in the digital transformation of F1 and its entire ecosystem: enabling the organisation that runs the sport, Formula 1, to innovate; helping the reigning world champions Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport to win; and working with 20+ broadcasters to bring the action to millions of fans worldwide," the spokesperson continued.

“Our work in F1 also paved the way for new customer relationships with leading broadcasters like Sky and Star Sports – to which we remain committed. It was a joy and privilege being part of the greatest sporting spectacle on the planet.

“While our marketing partnership concluded on 31st December 2019, we continue working with many of our F1 customers and partners behind the scenes for now.”

Formula 1 has announced today that Sean Bratches will step down from his role as Managing Director of Commercial Operations following three years at the organisation. He will leave Formula 1 at the end of January 2020 but will continue to support the business in an advisory role from the United States.

Sean joined Formula 1 concurrent with Liberty Media’s acquisition of the sport in January 2017 with a clear remit to establish a world class commercial group; a function that previously did not exist under its previous owners. Over the past three years Sean has built and led a team that has transformed the commercial business from a predominantly motor sport company to a leading global media and entertainment brand. As part of the transformation he has established a world-class management team and structure that will continue to serve the sport and its fans well into the future.

During his tenure Formula 1 has broadened its sponsor portfolio, improved the reach and scope of the sport’s global media rights, renewed key race promotion agreements and announced two new races to the Formula 1 calendar. Formula 1’s digital business was revamped under his leadership launching a new responsive web platform and extending the brand into areas such as direct to consumer, fantasy, podcasting, licensing and betting. All key metrics including race attendance, television viewership, and digital and social media engagement and usage have increased during his tenure.

In addition he has created and overseen many brand and fan facing initiatives including the renowned Netflix series Drive to Survive, the hosting of live car runs in major city centres around the world, established Formula 1’s highly successful Esports series as well as introduced innovative events such as the “Extreme Innovation Series” in collaboration with M.I.T.

After three years in the role, Sean has decided to return to the United States to be closer to his family and begin his next chapter.

Following Sean’s departure, the majority of his direct reports will report into Chase Carey, Chairman and CEO, Formula 1.

Chase Carey, Chairman and CEO, Formula 1, said:
“I want to thank Sean on behalf of everyone at Formula 1 for the leadership, passion and expertise he has given to the business over the past three years. Sean has transformed the commercial side of Formula 1 and a testament to his work is shown in our momentum and growth as a business. I am pleased Sean will continue to be an advisor for us from his home in the US, he will always be part of the Formula 1 family and I look forward to his ongoing advice and counsel. I wish him all the best in his new endeavours.”

Sean Bratches Managing Director of Commercial Operations at Formula 1, added:
“The past three years at Formula 1 have been an incredible journey, one which I have enjoyed thoroughly. I want to personally thank the team at F1 for their extraordinary efforts and dedication, they are the best of the best and I am confident they will continue to serve fans and deliver on the strategy we have set in the years ahead. I am proud that I leave Formula 1 in a better position than when I joined in 2017 and I know that the foundation we have put in place as a team will continue to serve our fans around the world and reach new audiences.”

Fernando Alonso and McLaren have officially ended their formal relationship, with the Spaniard no longer an ambassador for the team.

The two-time world champion maintained ties with the Woking-based outfit last year after his most recent spell racing with it from 2015 to 2018.

In his ambassadorial role, Alonso kept close links with McLaren – helping advise the team's drivers and engineers as well as conducting a Pirelli tyre test in the 2019 car.

He was also a part of McLaren's efforts at last year's Indianapolis 500, but that attempt ended in disappointment when he failed to qualify.

Alonso's ambassador deal ran until the end of last year, and McLaren has now confirmed that it has not been renewed for 2020.

When asked for comment by Motorsport.com, a McLaren spokesman said: "Fernando is a world-class competitor and we wish him well for the future. While our relationship has come to a natural conclusion, he will always remain part of the McLaren family."

The team was clear from the middle of last year that it felt its future was well served by current drivers Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris.

Alonso most recently took part in the Dakar Rally, and his next competitive focus will be on the Indy 500. The most likely option for him there is Andretti Autosport.

He has been clear, however, that after that he may look at what opportunities he has to return to F1 in 2021.

"I think the reasons why I left Formula 1 are still present now, with the domination from one team and the races a little bit too predictable, but in 2021 these things can be changed and maybe it's a good opportunity there," he said during a race appearance last year.

Alonso drove a total of 95 grands prix for McLaren in 2007 and then 2015 to 2018, winning four races in total. He also competed at the 2017 Indy 500 in a Honda-powered car.

Lawrence Stroll and Toto Wolff could be planning to take over the Mercedes works team from 2021, according to veteran German correspondent Ralf Bach.

The report, published on Bach's website f1-insider.com, says team boss Wolff had actually negotiated a deal to replace Chase Carey at Liberty Media.

But Ferrari vetoed that plan, demanding that Wolff spend at least three years on 'gardening leave'.

And so he changed direction, instead teaming up with Racing Point owner Stroll to take over the Brackley based team that has won every world championship since 2014.

Billionaire Stroll, whose son Lance drives for Racing Point, has been linked with a $260 million takeover of the British carmaker Aston Martin.

It had been rumoured that Aston Martin, currently Red Bull's title sponsor, could therefore become Racing Point's new identity from 2021.

But Bach claims that Stroll and Wolff are instead plotting to re-brand Mercedes as Aston Martin.

"Toto wants to be prepared if Mercedes gets out (of Formula 1) and acts only as an engine manufacturer," former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said.

"The fact that Mercedes has not yet signed the new Concorde Agreement for 2021 onwards is strange," he added.

"But why should Mercedes continue to spend so much money when they've already won everything? In terms of image, the group is completely satisfied with marketing the hybrid engines."

According to the latest reports from Motorsport_IT,Mercedes will remain in Formula One for the foreseeable future. News from the rumor mill indicates that Mercedes is committed to staying in F1 till 2022.

Mercedes to stay in F1?

McLaren recently signed a deal with Mercedes, ditching Renault engines for Mercedes’s power. Many questioned Mercedes’ future in F1 following the deal, however,Toto Wolff had an honest answer.

Speaking to Autosport, Wolff said, “Everything indicates that we will stay. But it’s not a given.

“We are in the middle of discussing the new Concorde Agreement. In connection with this – and independently of it – we are discussing the development of the automobile and its effects on sport”.

The Concorde agreement is an arrangement between the FIA, the Formula One Group and all F1 teams. The agreement enunciates how teams compete in F1 – including the distribution of prize money and division of additional revenue. The agreement is acknowledged in secrecy by all the teams and is binding.

Formula 1 is currently in the process of negotiating an eighth Concorde agreement, following seven past contracts.

The Mercedes team principal spoke about the direction F1 was moving in and how Ferrari was in a better position. “There is the Ferrari model that says: ‘We will do it forever. We build racing cars and we build road cars’

“The other model is to say: ‘We had a very successful run. There’s nothing more to prove. We’re doing something else now’. Both are absolutely plausible strategies.” said Wolff

Mercedes parent company Daimler AG will ultimately influence the decision. Mercedes see the future in hybrid energy and are making major strides in developing electric cars.

2021 and beyond

Some newer reports even suggested the possibility of Toto Wolff taking over Mercedes with Lawrence Stroll. Which further reiterates Wolff’s commitment to F1.

Contradictory to popular reports, Lewis Hamilton looks to stay with Mercedes following a Two-year renewal. Verstappen and Leclerc signing long term deals left the World Champion without many options. This would cement Mercedes’ presence in F1 till 2022 at least.

This isn’t the first time F1 teams have discussed the prospect of leaving the sport. Following an early blueprint of the 2021 regulations, Ferrari threatened to quit. In 2017, erstwhile Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne hinted the Scuderia may leave due to new regulations being incompatible. We now know, of course, this wasn’t true.

The 2021 regulations will introduce a major financial overhaul that will see cost caps and a limit on spending. These regulations will usher in a new era of racing with the hope of bridging the gap between teams.

Mercedes have won six consecutive Drivers’ and Constructors’ championship and is on target to break Ferrari’s record. What the future holds for the Brackley based outfit proves to be fascinating.

Zandvoort chiefs are holding back on releasing all their track data to teams in a bid to try to stop them being too prepared for the Dutch Grand Prix event.

Formula 1 teams put an incredible effort in to pre-event preparations for races in terms of computer and driving simulations in a bid to try to perfect the set-up they need before the track action begins.

But in the hope of making things a bit more unpredictable for the return of the Dutch GP, Motorsport.com has learned that Zandvoort architects Dromo are limiting the amount of information teams can get to only essential data.

Zandvoort sporting director Jan Lammers said about Dromo chief Jarno Zaffelli: "Of course Jarno has a lot of detailed data from Dromo's own simulations.

"But all modern F1 teams work scientifically, so if he gives all the data to them they will enter it into their simulator programmes in no time. That is exactly what we don't want to happen.

"So what he gives them is very limited. We want drivers to go out on the track during Friday practice to find the best possible set-up. So that is a bit of old school racing and makes the weekend probably a bit unpredictable."

As well as the lack of information making life more difficult for teams, Lammers hopes it will spice things up for drivers too.

"It will be a bit of a challenge for them," he added. "He [Jarno] absolutely doesn't want them to have too much information beforehand, so they can do a lot of preparatory work in the simulator.

"He basically wants teams to find out everything during Friday practice sessions. Maybe that could make the weekend a bit more exciting."

Lammers said he hoped the situation would mean more track action for fans on Friday, as teams will be forced to do more learning there.

"Normally Formula 1 teams are a bit cautious during Friday practices, to save tyres for the rest of the weekend," he said. "But I think Formula 1 drivers will drive even more laps on Friday than during the race on Sunday, because of the new track.

"Everyone will be out on track pretty early in FP1. They will have to make the most of Friday practices to gather information for the best possible setup on Saturday and Sunday."

Construction work is well underway at Zandvoort to bring the track up to F1 standard, as well as complete the banked Turn three and final corner.

And with the design of the last turn becoming a reality, Lammers said that it is going to look even better than he imagined.

"The Luyendyk corner will be a bit more spectacular than we initially thought," he said. "That is because this corner will be two metres higher than before.

"It means drivers will go a bit downhill when they enter the main straight. These differences in height make it even better for Formula 1 drivers."

Ahead of the 2020 Formula One season, Scuderia Ferrari could adopt an interesting development strategy. In essence, Ferrari is adapting the same strategy that Mercedes used for its 2019 W10.

First and foremost, the Ferrari that will debut on 11 February at Reggio Emilia will run during the first winter test session in Barcelona from 19 to 21 February. However, a completely different car will run in Catalunya from 27 to 29 February, and that will be implemented for the rest of the season, as per Motorsport.com Italy.

Just like their rivals, the Maranello outfit could halt any aerodynamic development any time during the season and shift their focus on the 2021 car.

The Maranello factory workers can then assess the mechanical parts to see if they meet the expectations of Project 671. Another key aspect to consider will be whether the Pirelli tires can adapt to the 2020 iteration of the Scuderia Ferrari. This is all the more important to tackle, especially after the problems that emerged in 2019.
The real Ferrari can only be evaluated in the second pre-season winter testing session. This is usually the time when the aerodynamic packages make their debut. Only then can Ferrari truly see where it stands in comparison with Mercedes and Red Bull. In other words, the million-dollar question is, will Ferrari have the downforce to be the quickest druing the season?Just like with Mercedes, nothing ground-breaking will be seen in the first week of testing. The big guns will be introduced for the second test and the opening race.

This will also leave ample amount of time in the wind tunnel to develop various concepts. For example, they could increase vertical thrust without penalizing aerodynamic efficiency. One thing is for sure, the Scuderia Ferrari F1 team could be finally taking the championship battle very seriously.

Racing Point has confirmed that its 2020 car will launch on February 17 in Austria but says the new design will not be a significant change from its predecessor, despite new financial freedom during its development.

Following the news late last year that Pat Fry would join Renault from McLaren for the 2020 season, the team have confirmed that the Briton will take on the role of Technical Director (Chassis), with a start date of February 5.

Fry has enjoyed a successful F1 career to date, with stints at Benetton, Manor and Ferrari – where he worked his way up to the role of director of engineering – as well as two spells at McLaren, most recently working as a temporary engineering director for the team before agreeing terms with Renault.

Fry will now fill the Chassis Technical Director role vacated at the end of last season by Nick Chester, with Renault confirming that Fry would be present at the team’s 2020 season kick-off in Paris on February 12.

Fry’s appointment is part of larger restructuring of Renault’s technical department – which has also seen Dirk De Beer brought in from Williams to take on the role of Head of Aerodynamics – as the team seek to regain momentum in the constructors’ championship after slipping from fourth in 2018 to fifth, behind McLaren, in 2019.

Haas have been left counting the loss after a mid-season split with then title sponsor Rich Energy has significantly reduced the team's operating budget for 2020.

Sponsors come and go frequently in Formula One. This can be clearly evidenced from the ever changing liveries seen on the grid. McLaren famously with the iconic Marlboro livery before changing to the grey and red of West.

Williams, as an independent team, have also always run in the colours of a title sponsor. Rothmans, Winfield, BMW, Martini and, in 2019, ROKiT, are just examples from the past three decades.

Haas entered F1 without a title sponsor in 2016 without a title sponsor and ran that way until 2019 The injection of cash from having a big name sponsor was expected to push the team nearer to the front of the pack but instead, the exact opposite happened.

Tyre problems plagued the U.S. based team's year and team boss Guenther Steiner knows that this cannot happen again.

“We have to be more critical of ourselves,” Steiner told Italia Racing. “The drivers were not convinced of the updates we brought to Barcelona.

“No one had the courage to say that they were not working, because the car was fast, despite what the numbers indicated. But trusting was a mistake.

“Barcelona is a particular track, where our car is always competitive. We went ahead with it, but when we realised it was the wrong direction it was too late.”

Commenting on the lack of a title sponsor for 2020, Steiner added that the step backwards could prove to once again unify the team.

“It’s a big loss, but we need to move forward and find new solutions, and be more efficient than ever,” he said. “I think the team has worked well and made good progress. We are better prepared for 2020.

“We are on schedule for the winter tests and at the moment there are no worries. I am very confident of going back to where we were in 2018.”

The 2020 Haas - named the VF-20 - will be revealed at 8am local time at Circuit de Catalunya, just an hour before pre-season testing begins on February 19...

While the American team were the first to reveal their 2019 VF-19 livery with an event in London, they will keep us waiting a little longer for a first glimpse of the VF-20.

They will hope 2020 is kinder to them after a challenging 2019 campaign that left the team and drivers perplexed by the car's lack of speed, the team ultimately finishing ninth in the 2019 championship – ahead of only Williams.

Expect a throng of cameras in the pit lane as Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen pull off the covers of their new challenger, 15 minutes before Alfa Romeo do the same.

Only Williams and Red Bull are yet to confirm their launch dates for the 2020 season.

In the wake of Charles Leclerc’s sky-diving stunt, the debate about drivers’ off-track activities has opened up. However, in Alfa Romeo’s case, they are not too bothered about their driver Kimi Raikkonen and his activities. The Finnish veteran even dismissed the idea of potential contract clauses stopping him from doing non F1-related activities.

It is practically a cliche that Finns and other Scandinavian racers gravitate towards rallying. The 2007 Formula One world champion is no exception, he is quite fond of motocross and other such activities.

When he spoke to Vezess, a Hungarian magazine he said “I haven’t read my contract because it’s not worth much as far as I am concerned.”
Interestingly, Kimi Raikkonen made a counter-offer to Alfa Romeo. He flatly told them that he will be only too happy to race for them. The only condition was that they cannot complain about anything, or he will walk away.

Some may find such demands outrageous, but Kimi Raikkonen is no ordinary driver. He is highly respected and one of the richest drivers. In other words, he is in a position to negotiate and make demands of his own.The 40-year old’s contract runs until the end of the 2020 Formula One season. Kimi Raikkonen mentioned that he has no interest in managing any F1 team or driver. Speaking of retirement, it is highly likely that 2020 could be his last season in Formula One.

The veteran Finnish driver has a family now with his wife Minttu. So he will want to spend more time with them and possibly nurture any signs of racing blood in them. Already, his son Robin is driving go-karts, and Kimi hopes that his daughter Rianna will soon join in when she comes of age.

Racing Point will become the Aston Martin works team in Formula 1 following major investment from Lawrence Stroll into the British car company.

Stroll has led a consortium that has purchased an initial 16.7% stake in Aston Martin — investing £182 million ($239m) — and will become executive chairman, as part of plans to raise an overall £500m ($655m) in emergency funding. As owner of Racing Point, Stroll’s investment will see it become the Aston Martin F1 works team from 2021 onwards on an initial 10-year agreement, in order to further increase the company’s global visibility.

At present Aston Martin is a title sponsor of Red Bull Racing, but it has been confirmed that the deal will come to an end after the coming Formula 1 season.

“Following the Aston Martin Lagonda announcement earlier today, the team can confirm that the manufacturer will remain title partner until the end of the 2020 season but this contract will not be extended past the end of the current term,” a Red Bull statement read.

“Red Bull Racing has agreed to release Aston Martin from its Formula 1 exclusivity clause which in turn has allowed it to generate the necessary investment required to re-finance and pursue alternative opportunities within the sport.

“Red Bull Advanced Technologies will continue to work with Aston Martin in order to deliver the Valkyrie hypercar, with the first cars scheduled for delivery at the end of the year.

“We thank Aston Martin for their support over the past four years in which time we have achieved 12 wins, 50 podiums and six pole positions together. We wish Aston Martin’s employees and shareholders all the best for the future and our focus remains on working together throughout the 2020 season and ending our partnership on a high.”

Waiving the exclusivity deal opens up the potential for Aston Martin branding to appear on the Racing Point this season, even if being turned into the works’ team will not take place until the following year

Stroll purchased the former Force India team after it went into administration during the summer of 2018, renaming it Racing Point with the intention of a different title for the following season. However any potential title partnership deals failed to materialize in time and the team will continue to be known as Racing Point until 2021.