Aston Martin has made a giant leap this Formula One season. From being a back marker to being the second-fastest team on the grid, the Britain-based team has endured a long journey. They have outperformed their power engine supplier, Mercedes, in terms of overall pace. Their veteran driver, Fernando Alonso, has constantly secured a podium finish in all the races held so far. Whereas his teammate, Lance Stroll, has put up a good fight too.
On the other hand, Aston Martin has a long withstanding partnership with Mercedes. The Silver Arrows have been supplying power engines, gearboxes, and rear suspensions to the Silverstone-based team for years now. However, this year, surprisingly, the later have been able to outperform the former with a significant pace gap. Now, their next target is chasing down the Red Bulls. And to fulfill that dream, Aston Martin is apparently considering breaking its years-long partnership with Mercedes.
Honda Likely To Tie Up With Aston Martin, Could End The Latter’s Long Term Deal With Mercedes
Japanese carmaker Honda has been in Formula One for years now. They partnered with Red Bull and its sister team AlphaTauri and have been supplying engines and power units for their respective cars. However, the partnership is soon coming to an end. Red Bull is all set to tie up with Ford Motor Company in the foreseeable future. However, it does not necessarily marks the end of Honda’s tenure in F1. The Japanese car manufacturer has signed up with F1’s new engine regulations, which will come into effect in 2026. Hence, Honda can stay in the F1 business as long as they find a new partner.
If rumors are to be believed, Honda is in talks with Aston Martin for a potential partnership considering the latter’s meteoric rise this season. The British team has been eyeing to replicate Red Bull’s car design for the past couple of years and even poached a few drink-based company’s top executives to fuel their mission. Hence, a deal with Honda can massively help the Aston Martins to turn their dream of developing the fastest car on the grid into reality. However, it wouldn’t be as simple as it sounds. The British team will have to end its long-term partnership with Mercedes. That means they would lose not only the power unit but also the rear suspension and gearboxes. Hence, it’s a tough call for Aston Martin.
What’s Stopping Aston Martin From Copying Red Bull’s Car Design?
It’s not hidden that Aston Martin has been dying to copy Red Bull’s car design for many years now. While they succeeded in matching their power unit partners Mercedes, Red Bulls are still far from their reach. Apparently, it is the same engine partners that have become a major roadblock in Aston Martin’s alleged dream. The team’s engineering director Luca Furbatto spoke to RacingNews365 and said it’s not possible for them to create a like-for-like copy of a Red Bull car as the team uses Mercedes’ components, such as the power unit, gearbox, and rear suspension.
Luca added both Mercedes and Red Bull are fundamentally different cars. While they have managed to gain pace by working on the aerodynamics of the car, the scope of competing with the Red Bulls is too narrow. This reason can possibly encourage Aston Martin to terminate its existing relationship with the Silver Arrows and join hands with Honda.
