Aston Martin abandons the idea of ​​becoming an engine manufacturer

This has certainly escaped many people this year, but Aston Martin is on a long path expected to lead him to the world title in 2025. In any case, this is what the boss has been proclaiming loud and clear for two years! Difficult to imagine, of course, given the last two contested seasons. But when he bought the Gaydon brand and rebadged his stable Formula 1 on behalf of Aston Martin, Lawrence Stroll had nothing else in mind than to make his team the best in the world, with the obvious aim of offering his son a car capable of fighting for the title. 

XXL recruitment was undertaken in this direction, with the arrivals in particular of Dan Fallows, new technical director, from Red Bull, and Eric Blandin, the Frenchman who now serves as aero manager. And again, these two are only the tip of the iceberg... the team is in the process of structuring itself to become a juggernaut and fight in the future in the court of Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari. This is also the meaning of the new technological and revolutionary factory, currently under construction and about to be delivered. 

During the launch ceremony of an AMR22 which will not go down in the history books, the historic technical director of the brand, Andrew Green, put forward the possibility that the team would become its own engine manufacturer from 2026, the date from the start of the new engine regulations. “I think that to move forward with our ambitions, we will certainly look at the long-term possibility of developing our power unit, confided Andre Green, technical director of Aston Martin. 2026 marks the arrival of new regulations regarding power units and I think, as a team, we would like to be involved.

Aston Martin considers itself very happy with Mercedes. © Florent Gooden / DPPI

Words confirmed a few months later by Mike Krack, the main team, who confided that the project was feasible. “In terms of preparation time, if you make this decision now, it is reasonable to hope to be on the grid in 2026 with his engine. It's a good time to think about it." he said last March. Massively supported by Aramco from next year, the Silverstone team knows the importance of not depending on any other entity to hope to win world titles, hence the meaning of their reflection.

A path that Red Bull also took following Honda's withdrawal from Formula 1, by launching its own engine division Red Bull Powertrains. On the Aston Martin side, the project seems to have been nipped in the bud, while the period for finalizing registrations is imminent for engine manufacturers with a view to 2026. “We evaluated the issue, the resources we would need, our situation for the years to come, and we decided that we are very, very happy with our current engine supplier (Mercedes), so we ultimately decided not to give following" confirmed Krack in Abu Dhabi. 

How can we explain this turnaround? Did it appear difficult for Aston Martin to separate from Mercedes, a brand which has shares in its shareholding, in the same way as the main team of the star team? Toto wolff ? Or does she want to focus first on her chassis and her car? One thing is certain in any case, like McLaren, it seems that Aston Martin is about to continue the adventure with the brand with the star. Enough to rekindle the debate between those who think that winning a title by being a driving customer is simply impossible, and those who continue to believe it!  

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