Over a month ago, reports emerged that the Aston Martin name is set to appear in Formula 1 starting from the 2016 championship season. This will be part of a deal arranged between the manufacturer and the current F1 team Force India, and an official announcement is likely before the year is over.
This will be the first time the British sports car maker’s name will be present in the motorsport since 1960.
The prospect of having a sports car brand like Aston Martin officially part of Formula 1 is bound to set tongues wagging among those within the motorsport fan base.
But considering the nature of the brand’s involvement and the fortunes other manufacturers have had in the sport, just what are the odds that the deal will prove fruitful for Aston Martin?
Just to be clear on the details we know so far, the Force India Formula 1 team, which operates at a base near the Silverstone Circuit, is essentially making Aston Martin its primary sponsor. This means that Aston Martin will not be present in Formula 1 as a fully-fledged manufacturer team, akin to Ferrari or Mercedes.
However, as well as changing names, the team will reportedly switch to a livery that’s different to what Force India have used in the past. It’s believed the Aston Martin-branded cars will sport a blue and gold livery, thanks to a link-up with the new sponsor Johnnie Walker – which is jumping ship from the McLaren F1 team.
It’s also reported that there will be some co-operation between Aston Martin and the F1 team it’s sponsoring in regards to research and development – allowing for some major technology transfer between Aston’s racing and road car business.
Aston Martin will, however, have to approach the whole arrangement with some caution, if the reactions of some F1 followers are to go by.
On the surface, and probably in the eyes of casual F1 followers, it will appear that Aston Martin is very much committed to the sport. However, numerous fans commenting on F1 news sites and forums have already questioned whether this can be at all considered a genuine Aston Martin race team.
Furthermore, with some the negative headlines surrounding Formula 1 nowadays, regarding struggles for teams to cut costs and agree on future regulations, questions have been asked about whether Aston Martin has got their timing right.
It seems, therefore, it will take time to persuade some that the positives of the brand’s F1 involvement will outweigh the negatives they could be struck by.
Make no mistake though, there are some potential benefits for Aston Martin’s involvement that could prove great in the long run.
As is typically the case when any manufacturer gets involved in motorsport, Aston Martin’s F1 entry will be largely motivated by a desire to boost road car sales. By entering F1, Aston Martin has a platform to directly rival other sports car makers including Ferrari and McLaren.
Aston Martin has already been doing something similar in various sports car championships outside of F1. But Formula 1 is still one of the most watched motorsports in the world and having their name and image inserted will give Aston Martin far more publicity than before.
It’s hard to say for sure how competitive the Aston Martin-branded cars will be in F1 from next year, but there’s reason for optimism in this department. While the Force India outfit hasn’t exactly been race winners, it is an experienced outfit with at least one advantage in the form of the engine.
In recent years, Force India has been using Mercedes engines supplied by the manufacturer’s outfit. This is set to continue for the foreseeable future while the cars are branded Aston Martin. That makes sense, since Mercedes owns five per cent of the car brand.
It’s also a really good thing, as Mercedes has produced the most competitive engines in F1 since the sport switched from V8 units to V6 turbocharged hybrid units. The Mercedes engine has unquestionably played a large part in guiding the main manufacturer team and Lewis Hamilton to title success this year and last year.
The Mercedes-run Force India team also recorded its best ever finishing position this year in the F1 constructors’ championship, scoring enough points for fifth overall out of the ten teams involved.
While some of the difficulties Formula 1 and its teams currently face does make scepticism to the Aston Martin deal understandable to an extent, it’s far too early to write off the arrangement as a waste of effort.
Really, for the time being at least, the sport should welcome the news that such a prestigious car brand wants to get involved with Formula 1 at all. After all, the F1 championship is heavily reliant on manufacturer presence.
Considering how many rumours about new manufacturers entering Formula 1 have cropped up only to be quashed in recent years (Audi being a notable example), seeing one of these rumour actually become reality makes for a refreshing change.
