Aston Martin

Aston Martin is a British team, involved in Formula 1 between 1959 and 1960, and back on the grid since 2021. The British team returned to the discipline under the impetus of Lawrence Stroll, already an owner under the name of Racing Point, who has since acquired shares in the winged brand until becoming its executive director.

In 2021, Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll were the official drivers, while Mike Krack joined in 2022 as team principal. The team secured the services of Fernando Alonso from 2023 onwards, alongside the Canadian, following the retirement of the four-time Formula 1 World Champion. In a major technical move, Adrian Newey was poached by Lawrence Stroll to join the team in 2025, and was subsequently appointed team principal in 2026.

The single-seater entered by Aston Martin in 2026. © Xavi Bonilla / DPPI

A disappointing start

Although recently arrived in Formula 1 under the control and management of Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin enjoyed two other seasons in the premier category of motorsport. She entered for the first time in 1959, alongside her participation in endurance events and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Aston Martin DBR4, the team's first single-seater in F1 / © DPPI

However, it is because of its commitment to Sarthe that the production of their first single-seater, the DBR4, is delayed and does not allow Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby, the two drivers of the team, to be able to play first. roles. During the season, the British would only compete in four Grands Prix, narrowly failing to score their first points in the discipline.

The following year, in 1960, Aston Martin secured the services of a French driver, Maurice Trintignant, already a winner in F1 with the Italian team Ferrari. But the engineers' choice to keep the engine, which is also very heavy, at the front of the car, penalizes Aston Martin. It quickly found itself overtaken by the rear-engined teams, failing once again in its quest to score points. Faced with this bitter failure, Aston Martin left Formula 1 to concentrate on sports cars.

Lawrence Stroll surrounded by Mohammed Ben Sulayem (right), FIA President, and Stefano Domenicali (left), F1 boss at Liberty Media © Antonin Vincent / DPPI

The return to the modern era

While Lawrence Stroll's takeover of Force India is effective in 2019, the Canadian multi-billionaire is investing in the British automobile brand, Aston Martin, by buying back 16,7% of the shares, for a total amount of 182 million pounds sterling. He decides to rename his team from the 2021 season, Aston Martin.

Upon his arrival, Stroll secured the services of Sebastian Vettel, left free by Ferrari. The Canadian obviously associates him with his son, Lance Stroll, while Sergio Perez, present in the team for many years, is asked to find a way out.

The name change didn't really impact the team's results, as they remained stuck in the midfield. A glimmer of hope appeared at the Hungarian Grand Prix when Sebastian Vettel capitalized on a pile-up at the start of the race to overtake Esteban Ocon and cross the finish line in second place. This was Aston Martin's best result to date, but the German was ultimately disqualified for not leaving enough fuel in his car. He had previously managed to finish second in Baku as well.

Vettel managed to get Aston Martin onto the podium at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. © Antonin Vincent / DPPI

Lance Stroll will sign his best performance with the team during the Qatar Grand Prix with a sixth place, but Aston Martin ends the championship in seventh position, far from its initial objectives.

An internal restructuring to increase power

In the off-season, the British team saw its director, Otmar Szafnauer, in office since 2009, leave for Alpine. Mike Krack was chosen to replace him, who had already experienced Formula 1 with BMW. However, it is an even more disappointing season for the team which is emerging, regularly relegated to the back of the grid.

During the summer break, Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement after fifteen years at the highest level. To everyone's surprise, Fernando Alonso was chosen to replace him for the 2023 season, signing a two-year contract with Aston Martin. From the outset, the Spaniard achieved five podium finishes in his first six races, and would go on to collect eight in total, completely overshadowing his teammate Lance Stroll in what was a successful season for the Silverstone team (5th in the Constructors' Championship).

The announcement in spring 2024 of the two-time World Champion's contract extension for several seasons allowed Aston Martin to maintain its momentum and aim even higher in anticipation of the major technical overhaul in 2026. Aston Martin also secured an exclusive agreement for the use of the Honda engine from 2026 onwards, marking a significant step forward. Not content with these guarantees, Lawrence Stroll poached Adrian Newey from Red Bull to join them from 2025.

Aston Martin signs Adrian Newey from 2025. © Antonin Vincent / DPPI

A difficult adaptation to the new regulations

However, nothing changed. The 2025 season was disappointing for the British team, which failed to secure a single podium finish, with Fernando Alonso's fifth place in Hungary being its best result. Aston Martin then focused all its efforts on 2026. New regulations, the arrival of the Honda engine which had enabled Red Bull to win two of the last three Constructors' titles, and above all, the announcement of Adrian Newey's promotion to team principal in November 2025 all contributed to this success.

With all these changes, the team hopes to do better than last season, but even before the first Grand Prix runs, it is facing numerous issues with its car. Late for the Barcelona Shakedown and struggling in Bahrain, neither car is currently capable of completing a full Grand Prix distance. Between engine vibration problems and the general unreliability of the AMR26, Aston Martin has never been in such dire straits. It remains to be seen whether the Silverstone-based team can recover and get its car working before the end of the season.

 In 2026, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are the two regular drivers at Aston Martin.

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will continue to drive for Aston Martin in 2026. © DPPI

Despite its return to the discipline with great fanfare in 2021, Aston Martin remains in the eyes of the general public, a mid-table team, or even worse this year. The British team has nevertheless stood out for its ability to develop single-seaters with disturbing similarities with the top teams on the grid, as evidenced by the evolution of the AMR22 before the Spanish Grand Prix in 2022, which looked very similar to the Red Bull in terms of the sidepods.

Aston Martin nevertheless pulled off a major coup by signing Fernando Alonso for 2023, and the future looks bright for the team, especially with the arrival of its new wind tunnel and Honda from 2026 onwards. Stroll repeatedly states his ambition to become world champion by 2025… With Adrian Newey joining the team, anything seemed possible. However, this proves that even with all the elements to build the best possible car, if they don't work together, it simply won't work.

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• The reasons behind Adrian Newey's marriage with Aston Martin
• F1 2024 Retro – The Confirmation: Lance Stroll
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• Lance Stroll casts a pall over the Aston Martin: "We have four seconds to find."
• Adrian Newey "powerless" in the face of Aston Martin's troubles
• Aston Martin / Honda – Is the dream already fading?