Aston Martin radical car surprise after design misdirect

Aston Martin presented Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll's new F1 car, the AMR25, on Sunday evening, before hitting the track in Bahrain for its shakedown the following morning.

The renders indicated this was a rational development to its predecessor, the AMR24, without too many radical changes.

Some radiators were moved under the hood, giving aerodynamicists more freedom to play with the design of the sidepods, but the AMR25 shown suggested very much an evolution from last year.

However, when the car emerged at the Bahrain International Circuit on Monday, it turned out that was not quite the case, with photos of Lance Stroll behind the wheel presenting a more radical concept than anticipated.

For example, the so-called shark fin now runs the entire length of the engine cover, or coke, whereas the renders showed a small, angled version only towards the rear.

Moreover, the sidepods appear to be much narrower and therefore at more of an inclined angle, as opposed to earlier, when the studio renders showed a larger, arch-shaped concept.

Most striking, perhaps, is the size of the vents on the hood. Aston Martin places the intakes fairly low on the car and has chosen to make them relatively large - although, that may also be track-specific.

More footage may emerge as the shakedown unfolds. The AMR25 will next be on track in Bahrain on Wednesday morning alongside the rest of the 2025 grid.

Compare the two versions of the AMR25 below.