'Several' F1 Teams Are Chasing Aston Martin Engine Supplies

Aston Martin could end up supplying more than a couple of independent Formula 1 teams, according to reports.

Motorsport.com reports that several independent F1 teams have been in contact with Aston Martin since the British company announced it was looking at entering the sport as an engine supplier.

Red Bull already have a commercial partnership with Aston and are a natural fit for taking the engines, having fallen out with Renault and being unthrilled by the idea of using Honda engines instead.

Toro Rosso, Red Bull’s junior team, could also use the same engines – or it could stay with a different supplier to gather more data from different units. The other independent teams are Haas, which is more or less bound to Ferrari, Sauber, which could feasibly make the switch, and McLaren, which will use Renault engines for 2018.

Williams has no reason to change from Mercedes power, and nor does Force India, but that leaves as many as four semi-likely teams that could chase Aston Martin for oily bits. When asked about how many teams the firm could supply, Aston’s CEO, Andy Palmer, told motorsport.com:

“I have some rough maths in terms of what cost and what price.

“With all of this stuff in F1, you have to factor in intangibles because you’re talking about a marketing return, not necessarily a physical return.

“Marketing return hopefully turns into sold cars, which is why we’re doing this. This is to seed the soil for when we bring a mid-engined car to compete with the Ferrari 488, which is what the Valkyrie was about.

“It’s about creating credibility ready for when we go mainstream face-to-face with Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren on the road.

“The timing of the 2021 regulations work really well, because it is about the time we’ll be bringing that car out.”