Toto Wolff reckons Aston Martin are better off sticking with Mercedes with regards to having F1 engines which the car manufacturer thinks so too.
Towards the end of the 2021 F1 season while Red Bull pushed on with its Powertrains department, murmurs raised in the media about Lawrence Stroll possibly thinking to go down the similar route in the long-term future with Aston Martin.
With the British car maker returning to the sport after Stroll takeover of the company and also Force India F1 team, the Canadian has some bold plans laid out. He has already kicked-off the work of building a new facility to expand the headquarters.
But the engine side so far seems to be on paper only. Outgoing Aston Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer while noting ‘never say never’, added that they are to stick with Mercedes for now. Something which Wolff also believed was a right call for the F1 team.
“Never say never,” said Szafnauer. “We have a long term contract, however, with Mercedes and we were happy with the powertrain that we have. They’ve served us well over the years and the plan is to stay with Mercedes.”
Meanwhile, Wolff added: “No, definitely [I am] not [going to advise Stroll this]. I think we have the industrial logic of Mercedes being a supplier to the road car company, and Mercedes being supplier to the Formula One team. It’s a credible story. It makes sense for both sides. And that’s why I don’t know where that has come from.”
With Honda ‘officially’ out of F1 from 2022, the sport is back with only Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault as the proper engine providers. The Japanese manufacturer will be present with Red Bull, but under ‘Red Bull Powertrains’ and not themselves.
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Here’s Andreas Seidl, Toto Wolff on FIA communication