Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell has explained how the team is preparing for next year’s Formula 1 season, along with the accompanying new set of regulations.
The sport is readying itself for the start of a new era, with new rules signifying a huge change in cars, both aerodynamically and in terms of engine power.
A significant number of eyes may be on the Silverstone-based squad for reasons that are two-fold.
Firstly, the team will begin a new era as a user of Honda power units, as the Japanese marque returns after quitting the sport at the end of 2021.
Secondly, Aston will take to the track with a car designed on the drawing board of famed technical guru Adrian Newey, who formally joined the team in March.
Cowell revealed his own personal approach since joining the team, initially as Group CEO in 2024, in an interview with RacingNews365.
“Joining the team, I was keen to learn about the team overall and then dig down into the world of aerodynamics as an area that I knew of, but not any great detail as to what an aerodynamicist does,” he said.
“And then you pull a plan together, and you get stuck into going from what you can see to where you’d like the team to be.
“That learning just carries on. Every day is a new experience of learning and reflecting and thinking about ‘what’s the core purpose of the team?’
“Getting everybody focused on the objective of making our formula Aston Martin, powered by Honda racing car, to be better and measured against our reference.
“How do we get it so that every single area of our business focuses on performance improvement?
“The steeper we can make that curve, the quicker we will improve, which means you overtake the opposition. And if you keep focused on that. You don’t let glory pollute your head.
“You stay ahead, so it’s trying to get everything aligned to that, listening to all the requests and working out, what are we going to do, first, second and third – because you can’t do everything at the same time.”
Aston Martin aiming to be strong across future F1 seasons
Since Lawrence Stroll took ownership, the team, then known as Racing Point, has undergone several changes, not just in its name.
One of its recent statements has been the continual growth and expansion of its technology campus at Silverstone, not just the addition of personnel such as Newey.
“Change is not trivial,” Cowell explained. “We’re going racing, we’re engineering a car for next year, adding change on top of that is extra workload.
“Making change requires extra effort. There are always hurdles. There’s always a feeling of, ‘do we really need to?’ and it’s just leaning into that.
“It’s leaning into that and keeping the medium to long-term focus, because it’s not just about 2026. It’s the first season of us being a works team.
“But there are many more championships after that point, and we want to be strong across all of those.
“That’s where Lawrence is exceptionally good at having that vision and investing further for the medium to long-term.
“You don’t invest in a wind tunnel if it’s short-term. You don’t invest in the campus that we’ve experienced if you’re there for the short term.
“Lawrence gives a very clear vision. We’re all impatient, but the investment supports a medium to long-term approach.”
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