Nico Halkenberg’s podium at Silverstone grabbed the headline very correctly as Germany secured the first 30th finish of his Formula 1 career.
It was a result of being celebrated by the wider paddock, and one of Sauber’s rivals in the middle, Aston Martin is one of the teams who provided champagne to boost the hospitality stakes of Swiss constructors.
There’s also a link as Hulkenberg made the team’s 239 start to 80 with three newest attires – Force India, Racing Point and Aston Martin – but he left the reserve role to return to the race with Haas at the end of 2022.
At that point, there was already a huge investment in Aston, but the new regulations in 2026 have come a long way. And at that stage, Honda Works’ deals were not yet in place. New factory has been put into operation, or Adrian Newey has been signed as managing technical partner.
A lot has happened with Aston over the past few years, and while it has raised expectations, it has not continued in recent seasons. 2023 began with encouraging style by often proving that Fernando Alonso is the biggest threat to Red Bull and Max Verstappen, but only two more followed as a foam tail-off after six podiums in the first eight races.
As after the Monaco Grand Prix, Aston scored just 14 points for the name – all of them scored by a lance walk – but the latest car produced a score in each of the four races, including the first double point at Silverstone.
Perhaps one of the team’s most unprecedented changes was the influence of Andy Cowell, who was widely praised for controlling Mercedes’ power units in 2014, adding the team’s main role to the Aston Martin CEO position in January. This has resulted in a tweaked outlook on how the team will go about its work.
“I think it’s a change in approach and a change in quiz, asking questions in simple terms,” Cowell tells Racer. “That’s how I try to approach it. And ask questions and go deeper, deeper and science-based, why can’t we engineer?
“Yeah, maybe it’s a different style and what I decided is that we’re doing great engineering and when we do great engineering, we release information and don’t release it before we do everything in depth. I think this is the approach I’m always engineering before engineering a race car now.
“They are different fields. Aerodynamics are different from power units, tire engineering is different from power units, but you can go back to mathematics, physics, a bit of chemistry. It’s an approach that comes up with hardware to run on race weekends.
One reason Aston Martin has not solidified its position among previous top teams is the development of the automobile because it failed to utilize the location it had discovered in early 2023. The lack of consistent improvements when bringing parts into the car was beginning to become a concern that was seen as a major opportunity to drive from 2026-2026.
However, Cowell claims that the pressure has not been fully released regarding the current outcome, putting much value on the overall championship position (still only 8th) as a long-term outlook for teams to effectively run a new, cutting-edge campus.
Aston relies on new wind tunnels to provide better engineering options. Photo courtesy of Aston Martin Racing.
One of the latest facilities that will be online is a big one, with Aston Martin’s own wind tunnel currently in operation, making sure you don’t have to share it with Mercedes.
“I think there are two benefits,” Cowell explains. “One is the technology there. The measurement technology, the accuracy you can measure. The second is the speed at which it can do the job, because we can choose to test it in the wind tunnel at any time of the day, before we can stay in small quantities.
“And we don’t have to wait for the bus to come along, and when we’re ready to do that, we can go and test it whenever we want.
“Also, with the aerodynamics next to the model build, the technology that led to model build design, production and project management means that time takes a lot faster to get the tunnel data that rises from the aerodynamics.
“The more you can do it on a time basis, the higher your development rate, and that’s how you can catch your opponent. So I’ve told people on campus over and over again, and the real race is here.
Cowell (left) believes that the team’s approach will make the most of Newey’s input. Zak Mauger/Images
If facilities play a major role in Aston Martin’s future optimism, it must be attributed to one of the names that will use them after Newey began work earlier this year. While focusing on one person could be considered unfair, Newey’s track record — the 13 driver championships and the 12 constructor titles of Williams, McLaren and Red Bull — speak for itself.
“Adrian works very hard on building cars,” says Cowell. “He’s a passionate, highly focused race car designer, and I know there’s a deadline for Honda with chassis art, transmission architecture and power units.
“He pushes the boundaries and there is a lot of excitement and enthusiasm, and that is the transition we are taking because people can tackle something new and different, not familiar and safe.
“But the equipment we have, the team we have is relatively new. And will we get better over time? Yes, it will. But I think it’s always the case.
“We’re pushing very hard in 26 years. But we’ve also confirmed that we’re thinking in the medium long term. What will we do in 27 years too? If we can’t get something, if we don’t have something for the first race of 26 years, can we have it for the fifth or tenth race?
“So, while the short-term improvements are getting bigger, we’re focusing on the medium and long-term as a team.”
For all of Newey’s brilliance and all of Lawrence Stroll’s investments, it’s still a team game. For Cowell, the key to Aston Martin’s success is a way of bringing so many different elements, ensuring it works seamlessly at the best possible pace. Think of the 422 USAIN bolts combined with the marathon relay.
“It’s the result that you’re really saying how well you’re doing at the end of your motorsport day, and that’s why we can’t say we’re happy with it for now,” admits Cowell. “We are fortunate to have a physical investment, which often requires the longest period, and it is in place.
“We have a passionate group, and now it’s just a change in the way we work, the way we organize ourselves, the way we trust each other in terms of individual responsibility. I always prefer the term ‘responsibility’ for accountability. Accountability sounds like a lawyer talking to you.
“Responsibility is personal. Personally, what are we going to do every day? And it requires the trust that your colleagues will do their bits.
“But when one of us drops the baton, we all work together to pick it up and move again. And if we do an experiment, if it doesn’t work, we don’t fill in the fact that it didn’t work — we learn from it.
Cowell’s example leads to the marathon being covered in 67 minutes. It shows the scale of ambition, and Aston Martin has come a long way to get into the mix for the medal, but has begun to show signs of a baton handover that will lower lap times.
