Lights out…and it’s go for Aston Martin in Formula One

One of the West Midlands’ best known automotive brands is to raise its profile even higher by increasing its presence in motorsport’s greatest racing theatre, Formula One.

Aston Martin is strengthening its partnership with Red Bull Racing with the announcement that from next season the team will compete as ‘Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’.

But the partnership is not just on the race circuit.

The collaboration has already produced the sold-out Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar, designed by F1 legend Adrian Newey, and is set to yield future products.

Rather than Aston Martin’s Gaydon headquarters, the focus of the partnership will be a new Advanced Performance Centre that will open on the Red Bull Racing campus in Milton Keynes later this year, creating 100 new jobs for the manufacturer.

The British luxury carmaker will also evaluate the opportunity to become team’s engine supplier from 2021 after it was asked by the sport’s governing body, the FIA, to join discussions on future engines for F1.

Aston Martin President and CEO, Andy Palmer, said: “Title partnership is the next logical step for our Innovation Partnership with Red Bull Racing. We are enjoying the global brand awareness that a revitalised Formula One provides.

“The power unit discussions are of interest to us but only if the circumstances are right. We are not about to enter an engine war with no restrictions in cost or dynamometer hours but we believe that if the FIA can create the right environment we would be interested in getting involved.”

The relationship between Aston Martin, Red Bull Racing and AF Racing began in 2016 with the pledge to produce the new £2.5m Valkyrie. The car, which sold out on launch and is set to be the first in a line of new models, will make its first run in 2018 before being delivered to customers in 2019.

The new Advanced Performance Centre will also house Aston Martin’s second dedicated design centre plus a number of specialist engineers who will be working on future sports cars. The new centre will allow a closer working relationship between the two brands and see the adoption of both F1 and road car technology.

Christian Horner, Team Principal of Red Bull Racing said: “Our innovation partnership with Aston Martin has been a pioneering project from day one. Having conceived and created the remarkably successful Valkyrie, we are now delighted to further strengthen the partnership and see the team competing as Aston Martin Red Bull Racing in 2018.”