Andy Cowell wants to impose new standards within Aston Martin F1, of which he became CEO at the end of last year.
The man who will also occupy the role of director replacing Mike Krack explains how the team will work on its developments from 2025.
“There is no shortage of effort within the team. We undoubtedly won the World Updates Championship in 2024, but those updates didn't deliver the best lap times, so that what everyone wants in this business is to get lap time.”
“We need to make sure that all of our technology campus tools and processes are working well enough that every time we bring something to the track, we're at least 90 percent sure that it will work on the track and that it will work. will meet our expectations,” Cowell said.
“That doesn't mean we have to get it right every time. I've seen statistics that show that in real research and development environments, a 20% success rate is high. But the difference is that it has to occur on the AMR technology campus and not on the circuit.”
“It's not easy to achieve, but it's what we have to aim for. We have very powerful CFD tools and the most advanced wind tunnel in sport, but these are just simulations; There will always be a risk that the data won't quite match what we find on the circuit.”
“But our simulations can give us robust direction and I'm confident we can get to the point where we're right 90% of the time. That's the level at which world champion teams operate, and so that's the goal that we must set ourselves at the minimum.”
Cowell notes that the success of Project 2026 will be important for several years.
“The 2026 season is a huge opportunity for us, but it’s not just about 2026, but also 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030. It’s about building a team capable of achieving sustained success.”
-“Yes, 2026 is important, but it's just one more step. 2025 is also an important step in our journey, and we are focused on improving our performance this year and maintaining momentum positive in 2026. We must not underestimate the scale of the challenge of bringing all these elements together.”
“We have to move from a customer team to a factory team at the same time as the new regulations come into force, and we have to design and manufacture our own gearbox as well as other components of the car that we previously supplied by Mercedes.”
“We partner with Honda, one of the best powertrain manufacturers in the world, who is extremely creative and driven, then with Aramco who develops advanced fuels for us and with Valvoline who provides us with best-in-class lubricants. We are fortunate to have these leading organizations as partners, they are at the forefront of their respective fields and bring a lot of experience and expertise. Our new technology campus will be fully operational by 2026 and we have. brilliant technical minds who join the team These are just some of the pieces of the puzzle that we have to put together.
And then there is the competition…
“Every team is trying to set themselves up for success with this significant regulation change, and there is also a set of powertrain manufacturers who must respond as best they can to the regulation changes.”
“We have to respect the fact that we are facing formidable competition, which is very well established. Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, these teams are exceptionally strong and, like every other team on the grid, they will see these changes regulation as an opportunity.”
“We can't control what they do. We can only control what we do. We have to run our own race, focus on our goals, our targets, and put all the pieces of the puzzle together as best we can to capture the opportunity that 2026 offers us.”
