Andy Cowell says Aston Martin is not just looking at F1 2026 but also beyond it as they transition from customer outfit to works outfit in world championship pursuit.
Despite the long updates list in F1 2024, Aston Martin couldn’t perform on track as things didn’t work out no matter what they did. This is something new team principal Cowell admitted to while looking back on what went wrong and what didn’t work for the outfit.
Even though things didn’t work to the best, Cowell notes that there was no lack of effort from the Aston Martin crew throughout the year. “There is no lack of effort throughout the team. We definitely won the World Championship for the most updates in 2024, but those updates didn’t deliver the laptime – and what everybody wants in this business is to deliver laptime,” he said.
“That’s not to say we must get it right every time. I’ve seen statistics that show that in true research and development environments, a 20 per cent success rate is high. If we can get a 20 per cent success rate then that’s good, but the difference is that this needs to happen at the AMR Technology Campus and not at the track.
“We need to make sure that all our tools and processes at the Technology Campus are working well enough to ensure that whenever we take an update to the circuit, we are at least 90 per cent certain that it’s going to work on the track and meet our expectations. It’s not easy to achieve, but it’s what we need to be aiming for.
“We’ve got very powerful CFD tools and the most advanced wind tunnel in the sport coming online but they are only simulations; there will always be the risk of data not quite matching up with what we find on the circuit, but our simulations can give us a robust steer and I’m confident we can get to the point where we’re right 90 per cent of the time.
“That’s the level that World Championship-winning teams are operating at so that needs to be our aim at a minimum,” summed up Cowell. Everything that Aston Martin is doing, it is towards the big change in 2026 where teams will have a chance to change its fortunes if they get it right.
If they get it right for 2026, they can build upon it for the F1 seasons ahead, but it is no easy feat as the competitors around them aren’t sitting quietly either. The works relation with Honda will be crucial as well. “2026 is a huge opportunity for us but it’s not just about ’26, it’s about ’27 and ’28 and ’29 and ’30,” said Cowell. “It’s about building a team that can achieve sustained success.
“Yes, ’26 is important but it’s just another step on the journey. 2025 is also an important step on our journey and we are focused on improving our performance this year and carrying positive momentum into 2026. We mustn’t underestimate the scale of the challenge to bring all these elements together.
“We’ve got to make the transition from a customer team to a works team at the same time as the new regulations come into play, and we’ve got to design and manufacture our own gearbox along with other components of the car that have previously been supplied to us by Mercedes.
“We’re partnering with Honda, one of the best power unit manufacturers in the world, who are hugely creative and motivated, and then we have Aramco developing advanced fuels for us and Valvoline providing us with best-in-class lubricants. We’re fortunate to have these powerhouse organisations as partners, they’re at the forefront of their respective fields and bring so much experience and expertise.
“Our new Technology Campus will be fully operational by 2026 and we’ve got some brilliant technical minds joining the team. These are just a selection of all the puzzle pieces that we’ve got to bring together. Every team is trying to set itself up for success with the significant change in the regulations, and you’ve also got a collection of power unit manufacturers that need to react to the regulation changes as best as possible.
“We’ve got to respect the fact that we’re up against some mighty opposition, who are very well established. Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, these teams are exceptionally strong and, along with every other team on the grid, they will view these regulation changes as an opportunity.
“We can’t control what they do. We can only control what we do. We’ve got to run our own race, focus on our objectives, our targets, and put all the pieces of the puzzle together as best as possible to seize the opportunity that 2026 presents,” summed up Cowell.
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