Aston Martin is expected to have its own engine by 2026
According to our sources, during the Imola Grand Prix which took place in late April, Lawrence Stroll, the director of Aston Martin, supposedly signed an engine supplier contract with an entity other than Mercedes.
The Aston Martin team was born from the Force India factory, which was bought by Lawrence Stroll in 2018 and renamed Racing Point. Stroll, who was already the owner of a Formula 1 team, wanted to invest in the bankrupt car manufacturer Aston Martin and helped bring Aston Martin to Formula 1 with big ambitions. Toto Wolff, the boss of the Mercedes AMG team, also decided to invest in Aston Martin.
Aston Martin, the automobile manufacturer, is owned by Stroll and Wolff, among others, but also by other stakeholders, such as Mercedes. Aston Martin does not manufacture its own engines. The German manufacturer has therefore invested in Aston Martin with the idea of selling its engines to the Aston Martin brand.
The scenario then replicated itself in Formula 1 as the Aston Martin team has always been powered by Mercedes.
However, according to our sources heard in Imola this season, Lawrence Stroll would have finalized a contract with a new engine supplier this summer. The director of AMR GP Limited would have expressed satisfaction (to) with having signed a contract for a new engine, (and) » upon leaving the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola.
If we do not yet know the effective date of this contract, we know that two other motor manufacturers are interested in entering Formula 1 in 2026: Audi and Porsche, from the VAG group.
However, Aston Martin being very close to Mercedes, it is difficult to see how the F1 team could do without Mercedes’ services without the German manufacturer selling its shares. Andrew Green, the technical director of Aston Martin F1, said that they were considering developing their own engines for 2026. Therefore, we could imagine another scenario; Aramco could help Aston Martin develop their own power units, based on the designs of those from Mercedes.
Aston Martin would thus gain independence and credibility with its customers, as they would power their own car, and Mercedes could continue to be part of the adventure without seeing one of its main German competitors enter Aston Martin’s capital.
Mike Krack confirmed the possibility of entering F1 with his own engine in 2026. In terms of preparation time, if you make this decision now, it is reasonable to hope to be on the grid in 2026 with your own engine. “It’s the right time to think about it,” he said last March.
