Review and test Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition

This car came first. Work at Aston Martin on a hotter Vantage had already begun when the brand was told they could assemble a Formula 1 safety car. They then matched the two ideas. So while this is the first car ever to bear the official Formula 1 logo, the Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition is not a limited edition.

The Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition is more expensive than the standard car, but contrary to what you might think, the extra cost is actually not that bad. We owe you the Dutch and Belgian values, but in Germany a ‘normal’ Aston Martin Vantage costs 154,000 euros and you can pay 162,000 euros for this F1 Edition. So expect a similar surcharge compared to the sloppy two euro tons (152,318 euros in Belgium) that the Aston Martin dealer demands here for a standard Vantage.

Modest changes?

To be honest, the changes don’t seem very spectacular either. The engine received a software update and received an extra 25 horsepower, so that 0.1 second of its 0-to-100 time was taken and there is a little more fiery high in the revs. The Vantage revolves around the drama of its acceleration, and the 4.0-litre biturbo V8 remains a huge chunk of fun that kicks you in the back above 3,000rpm and roars and growls that it has a nature. It may not be as fierce and responsive as the Mercedes-AMG GT R (585 horsepower), but like that car, the Vantage F1 Edition has a light muscle car feel.vibe about himself.

The Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition is all about the details

The difference is that the chassis can now handle everything that the drivetrain coughs up. Take a look at how detailed these adjustments are: on the rear axle, the springs are now 10 percent stiffer, the dampers 20 percent harder under compression, the bump stops have been changed and the strut mounting is now made of stiffer rubber. The upper wishbones are new and there is a lateral damper between the rear subframe and the cardan shaft housing to limit the movement of the drivetrain. That’s a fine list of refinements; and we are only talking about the rear suspension.

The goal was to shave 15 seconds off the Vantage’s Nürburgring lap time. Without the use of extra sticky tapes or other tricks, that is. According to Aston, they succeeded: they talk about a time of ‘around 7 minutes and 30 seconds’. Most importantly, though, the Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition feels different from the stock car from moment one – there’s less movement and more control at the rear and positive, accurate damping where the modest suspension travel rounds out bumps nicely.

A counterpart to the 911 GT3?

This Vantage doesn’t quite come close to the relentless attacking mentality of the new 911 GT3, but it noticeably likes to be dealt with hard. When you roll around corners at your leisure, it’s almost like he’s getting distracted; but if you brake hard towards the apex and accelerate brutally out of it, you will be rewarded with a better connection. If you drive it on the track, it is mainly the extra accuracy of the rear axle that will impress. It allows it to perform beautifully precise drifts. That will probably come in handy, should safety car driver Bernd Mayländer suddenly get it on his hips.