Aston Martin haven't decided to write off their 2021 season just yet, and intend on developing their AMR21 for as long as they feel there is a reward for doing so. With the upcoming 2022 regulation changes demanding huge efforts from the teams, the decision over when to switch focus for next season has been complicated by the balancing of resources under the new budget cap rules. The crossover point of abandoning development of the '21 car to concentrate on '22 is down to the individual teams, but Aston Martin aren't at that point yet. "That’s a difficult one," said Aston Martin Sporting Director Andy Stevenson to Forbes when asked about when that point might be reached. "We’re going to keep racing and see where we are competitively and if we find ourselves in a very close battle and our season goal is still achievable, we’ll continue to develop the car for as long as we possibly can." Having had a slow start to 2021 as the aerodynamic tweaks for this year appeared to have hurt Aston Martin's low-rake philosophy more than other, Stevenson said the scramble for more speed has meant they're still focused on the short term. "Along with all the other teams, we’re already doing our research for the 2022 cars," he said. "But, as the Sporting Director, I’m completely focused on 2021." While the Silverstone team have usually developed well through a season as Force India and Racing Point, the financial resources brought by the investment of Lawrence Stroll and Aston Martin means that Stevenson believes their momentum upwards can continue through this season. "We have historically punched above our weight," he said, "but by the end of the year, we were absolutely exhausted. The plan is to still keep punching above our weight, but now we have a lot more strength behind us."
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