Aston Martin Reveals Behind The Scenes Distraction As '24 Development Ramps Down

Saajan Jogia | Oct 13, 2024

May 3, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll (18) races into turn three during F1 practice at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough admitted that the team has been extremely busy during the break between the Singapore Grand Prix and the upcoming United States Grand Prix, mainly focused on its 2026 title contender. Speaking of the team's current AMR24 F1 car, he suggests that development on the car is "ramping down" considering there are only six races left to go before the season ends.

As the 2024 season nears its conclusion, teams have been planning evolutionary upgrades on their cars for the next season, but the core focus remains on the 2026 season, which will see the dawn of a new era of regulations. Considering the kind of investment and resources Aston Martin has been putting into its state-of-the-art Silverstone facility, the team seems to be on track to deliver a potent title contender.

Not to forget the bombshell signing of Red Bull's chief technical officer, Adrian Newey, the man responsible for Red Bull's dominance in the current ground effect era through his work on the car's design. He will join Aston Martin in March 2025 as the team's managing technical partner and shareholder.

Considering the three-week-long gap after the Singapore GP, which is a first for the sport, the Lawrence Stroll-led outfit made the most of it by prioritizing the 2026 car. The advanced planning and additional inputs are crucial, as Aston Martin is set to become a works team in the new era where it will stop buying power units from Mercedes and instead, produce its power units in collaboration with Honda.

Honda, which supplies engines to Red Bull at present, will part ways with the Christian Horner-led team to partner with Aston Martin in the new era of regulations. As the autumn break draws to a close, McCullough shared what has kept the team occupied. He told the media:

"At the moment, we're in this phase where we're very, very busy with lots of things.

"As a team, compared to the other teams, we literally just moved into building two and building three at our new campus.

"[We've] got meetings with Honda, face-to-face meetings, as we're really focusing heavily on the '26 stuff that we're doing.

"It's also a phase where the '25 car workload is really ramping up. Actually, '24 development really is ramping down."

Speaking on the scope of work, McCullough added:

"Whether it's HR appraisals or car going faster stuff, we've got a lot to do."