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Bond stunt driver Jessica Hawkins joins Aston Martin as 'driver ambassador'

LONDON — James Bond movie stunt driver and W Series racer Jessica Hawkins has joined the Aston Martin Formula One team as 'driver ambassador'. The team of four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll said in a statement on Wednesday that she will work with partners and "across a variety of disciplines". If somewhat vague on detail, the new job could involve the 26-year-old Briton showing off some of the skills featured in the yet-to-be-released Bond movie 'No Time to Die'. "I enjoy sending cars sideways almost as much as I do racing," she told Reuters. Aston Martin, the fictional British secret agent's car of choice, has played up the Bond connection since returning to Formula One this season in a rebranding of Silverstone-based Racing Point. Their F1 car launch in March was presented online by "Quantum of Solace" actress Gemma Arterton, with Bond actor Daniel Craig delivering a message of support. Hawkins, a former British karting champion, also has racing credentials although far from the level required to obtain a Formula One super-license. The all-female W Series is supporting Formula One and Hawkins follows defending champion Jamie Chadwick, who has a development role with Williams, in forging a connection to an F1 team. Daughter of an air-conditioning fitter, her racing career stalled for lack of cash until the Formula Three-level W Series came along in 2019 with all costs paid. "When I was 10 or 11 I was named the female most likely to make it to Formula One and it never materialized," said Hawkins, who recalled once beating future Red Bull F1 driver Alexander Albon. "I may not have made it... but I'm certainly proud of where I am and the journey I've been on to get to where I am." Related video: F1 training, Ken Block and Pikes Peak | The Autoblog Show Ep 04

Aston Martin Vengeance embodies the wrath of Kahn

Kahn Design, for those unfamiliar, is a British customizer that's known primarily for modifying Land Rovers. And it brought a few of those with it to the Geneva Motor Show this year as well, particularly a rebodied DB9 called the Vengeance. The lines follow a familiar form that still speaks of its underpinnings, but the details have all been worked over: the grille is bigger, the front fenders are wider, the hood has a bulge in it, the C-pillars and rear haunches are wider, the horizontal taillights have been replaced by more retro round units, and the wheels take their inspiration from a roulette table. The result is described as "the conclusion of British designer Afzal Kahn's lifelong pursuit to design the car he has always wanted to drive," and comes with Aston Martin's blessing – or at least its acquiescence: "There is a long and rich history of specialist coach-built Aston Martins," said the company's purchasing director Gary Archer, "and we wish Kahn every success with the Vengeance." The cost of converting a DB9 to Vengeance spec has yet to be announced, but according to the statement below, it " is expected to represent extremely good value for a limited edition coach built car." Related Video: THE KAHN VENGEANCE MAKES ITS INTERNATIONAL DEBUT AT THE GENEVA MOTOR SHOW 2016 The 2016 Geneva Motor Show will see the long awaited launch of the Kahn Vengeance, a new coach built two-door coupe which represents a stunning synthesis of modern engineering and classic streamlined design. The Vengeance will be unveiled to the media at the Kahn Design stand, 6338, on March 1st 2016. Inspired by the Aston Martin designs of the 1980s and 90s, the Vengeance is the conclusion of British designer Afzal Kahn's lifelong pursuit to design the car he has always wanted to drive. Designed to hark back to the glory days of British coach building, the hand built Vengeance is a coachbuilt two door coupe based on a new Aston Martin DB9 chassis. Face on, the redesigned front bumper and wide spaced grille give the Vengeance an aggressive look, framed by widened front wings which merge seamlessly into the doors. The signature central bulge of the bonnet continues to the highly defined lines of the roof, which flow outwards to the widened C-pillars and rear wings, lending a muscular definition to the car's surfaces.

Here are all the new 2022 season F1 cars (UPDATED)

Update: Since this post's original publishing, the rest of this season's teams have revealed their 2022 cars. We've updated the post with all of them, so it now includes every 2022 F1 car on the grid. The updated story continues below. Reveals of the 2022 F1 cars are coming fast and heavy, and at this point, every team has shown off their redesigned cars. This being the case, we figured it was time to provide you all with a place to see all the cars at once. The gallery above holds photos of all the cars, and below you’ll see all them broken down by teams and drivers, along with quotes from the drivers and team leaders that come via F1Â’s official website where the cars were revealed. Mercedes W13 - Lewis Hamilton and George Russel "It just takes you back to being a kid," Hamilton said. "I think itÂ’s always exciting watching, I mean with this new era of car, weÂ’ve never seen such a drastic change, right? "So itÂ’s such a huge change in so many ways, that itÂ’s just been really interesting seeing the designers and everyone coming together to find the best ways of creating a masterpiece." “It feels incredible, obviously Lewis and I have driven so many laps in the simulator of this,” Russel said. “WeÂ’ve seen all the drawings, weÂ’ve had so many meetings and presentations about it, but suddenly seeing it all come together, seeing all of the men and women who have put so much hard work and grit into making this, and coming together here, I think it looks incredible. “And I think the silver [coming] back, weÂ’ve had an incredible livery with the black in the past couple of years – but the silver back on track I think is going to look incredible." Ferrari F1-75 - Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz “I think it looks aggressive, it looks radical, and I think it looks beautiful also Â… I just hope itÂ’s fast,” said Sainz. “ItÂ’s innovative, different, thinking a bit out of the box. I like it because itÂ’s just radical, which is what you want to see when you see a new car.” “Yes, I do [like the livery],” Leclerc said. “I think it fits perfectly. ItÂ’s a bit of a dark red, looks a bit more aggressive, but for a car like this, I think it fits perfectly.