Aston Martin has returned to the Formula One circuit and unveiled its new car.

The British marque last competed in the motor racing series in 1960. This time, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and the up-and-coming Lance Stroll are in the driver's seats.

Stroll is the son of Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll – who also happens to be Aston Martin's chairman and the co-owner of Aston Martin Racing. Stroll bought the Racing Point F1 team out of administration in 2018 and led a consortium in January last year to buy a 16.7% stake in Aston Martin, consequently rebranding the racing team.

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Speaking to CGTN Europe, Stroll said by returning to F1, Aston Martin was "returning to the DNA of the company. We're building the greatest British iconic premier luxury brand in the world. And a very big part of that is through our racing heritage and returning to Formula One."

The older Stroll says his son has "earned" his place on the team and that Lance and Vettel will be a "great combination of young talent and veteran experience."

Stroll says the technology used to develop the F1 car will help improve Aston Martin's traditional sports cars. 

He expects the "technology coming out of our Formula One car to come onto our showroom floors in the next two, two-and-a-half years."

As well as the glamor – it has a long association with cinema's suave secret agent James Bond – Aston Martin has also had a rocky road of bankruptcies in the past, but Stroll says the future looks promising.

"We have a very clear road map and strategy of introduction of new models, which commenced with the DBX," he said.

Also looking to be more environmentally friendly, Stroll said he is proud of the work that Aston Martin is putting in place.

"We will have two fully-electric vehicles, a sports car and a SUV by 2025, which I believe is significantly ahead of our competition. In addition, we are introducing electrification to our units in sports cars," he said, as he discussed some of the plans ahead.