Aston Martin are serious about building their own Formula 1 engine from 2026 with Saudi backers Aramco, billionaire team owner Lawrence Stroll confirmed on Tuesday.
The Silverstone-based team, who are constructing a new factory and expanding their staff, last month announced a long-term partnership with the Saudi state-owned energy giant.
“We’re quite serious,” Canadian billionaire Stroll told Reuters in a video call when asked about the possibility of Aston using their own engine when the rules change in four years’ time.
“Aramco and I are discussing doing our own production engine for 2026, the rules do change… so we have a team of people currently studying the opportunity.”
Formula One’s governing body has said the 1.6 litre V6 engine will remain but with more electrical power and without the MGU-H component which generates energy from heat. There will also be a power unit cost cap.
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The FIA also wants to make it possible for new engine manufacturers to join the sport at a competitive level
And very important is affordable too as the current Power Unit package is prohibitively expensive and complex to run.
Aston Martin, seventh overall in the constructors’ last season, currently use Mercedes units.
Mercedes, Renault, Ferrari and Red Bull (with Honda’s intellectual property) are Formula One’s engine makers with other teams supplied as customers.
The Volkswagen Group, with its Audi and Porsche brands, are also considering entering.
Aston Martin technical head Andrew Green told reporters last month that it was normal to explore all possibilities: “With our ambitions, we´re definitely investigating our power unit supply in the long-term.
“We have Aramco now involved as a sponsor…I´m sure we´ll be looking at it in great detail and understanding whether there´s a benefit to us in that direction.”
Aston Martin, which morphed from Racing Point (aka Force India, Jordan F1 Team etc) to become the ambitious project it has become, with a five-year plan to challenge for the championship and have made some high-profile signings from rivals. (Reporting by Nick Carey)