Szafnauer says Aston Martin will increase workforce to 800 as they aim to bridge gap to rivals

Aston Martin are going full steam ahead with their recruitment process, according to Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer, who says the team are aiming to hire more than 250 people before their new factory opens next year.

Just three years ago, the team then known as Force India went into administration, before Lawrence Stroll's consortium bought the team, and renamed it as Racing Point, before this year's transition to Aston Martin.

READ MORE: Vettel has changed the way Aston Martin debrief, says Szafnauer

With a first podium under their belts from Baku thanks to Sebastian Vettel, and a new factory set to open in August 2022, Team Principal Szafnauer detailed their recruitment efforts as they aim to bridge the gap to F1's top teams.

"We’ve added significantly the amount of people we have since we were Force India. The new factory is on track, we have started building already, and it’s a big, big programme to recruit even further," he said.

"We are at about 535 people now and we will get to about the region of 800 or whatever the right size is under the cost cap and we are strategically working on that now and trying to recruit likeminded individuals that want to come work for Aston Martin Racing and go racing at the highest level. The recruitment process is going well," added the team boss.

While the Silverstone-based team, currently sixth in the Championship behind AlphaTauri, are hoping to close the gap to the teams above with structural improvements, Szafnauer added that they have a long road ahead of them.

ANALYSIS: How Vettel went from missing Q3 to his first podium for Aston Martin in Baku

"There is a bigger gap to the teams in front than to the teams behind and we have to do a good job for the rest of the season, bring some more upgrades, understand the car better, get the drivers even more comfortable and fight as hard as we can to finish as high as possible in the midfield," he said. "It won’t be easy, even for fifth, but we will do the best we can."

Aston Martin head into the French Grand Prix fresh off a maiden podium finish in Azerbaijan and are just two points behind AlphaTauri, with the first triple-header of the season looming.