Aston Martin evaluating developing own power unit for 2026

Aston Martin are evaluating the viability of creating their own Formula 1 power unit for 2026, when revised engine regulations are set to be introduced.

Billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll is heavily investing in the Silverstone-based operation, with construction already under way on a new fit-for-purpose factory that will house a new wind tunnel and simulator, as he bids to transform the team into world title contenders.

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Aston Martin currently run a Mercedes power unit and also take the world champion’s gearbox and rear suspension. But going forward, Technical Director Andrew Green said they are looking into going it alone and creating their own engine.

“I think going forward with our ambitions, we’re definitely investigating our power unit supply in the long-term,” said Green, at the launch of the AMR22. “2026 is mooted as a new power unit regulation and I think, as a team, we’d love to be involved.

“We have Aramco now involved as a sponsor and I think conversations going forward in the next few years… we’ll see. For sure we’ll be looking at it in great detail and understanding whether there is a benefit to it in that direction.”

Should Aston Martin follow that route, they’ll be hot on the heels of Red Bull, who created their own engine division Red Bull Powertrains following their supplier Honda’s decision to leave the sport at the end of last year. While they will continue to run Honda-made engines this season, their own operation is already online and working on the 2026 unit.

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Aston Martin begun pre-season running encouragingly, clocking up more than 100 laps on two successive days. But they had a troublesome final day in Barcelona, with Sebastian Vettel stopping on track with an oil leak – which led to a small fire – and they did not return to the track in the afternoon. They ended the session with 296 laps, putting them seventh in the mileage charts.

They’ll head to Bahrain next week, along with their rival nine teams, for the Official Pre-Season Test. The three-day event starts on March 10, with the first race of the season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, taking place at the same venue on March 18-20.