Aston Martin technical director Dan Fallows does not believe the team are disadvantaged at all by running the Mercedes engine.
There are four power unit manufacturers in Formula 1 – Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Red Bull Powertrains/Honda, the lines on that last one becoming increasingly blurred!
For Mercedes, in addition to their works team, they also supply power units to McLaren, Aston Martin and Williams.
And while there has been a long-standing suggestion in Formula 1 that a customer team could not challenge the works outfit, Fallows, who left Red Bull for Aston Martin, does not see any limitations from being a Mercedes customer.
PlanetF1.com was part of the media personnel that descended on the work site of Aston Martin’s new campus shortly after the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“I don’t feel that is,” Fallows told media, including PlanetF1.com, when asked if he felt that Aston Martin’s customer status was a limitation.
“And I certainly don’t feel that having the Mercedes HPP engine in our car has been in any way negative for us.
“I think it has proved its reliability, its performance is where it needs to be. I don’t really think in modern F1 that’s a problem at all.”
Opportunity awaits for an exclusive Aston Martin PU supplier
For many years now the cost and complexity of the power units in Formula 1 has resulted in a very limited number of organizations who could realistically fund them, but there are signs of change come 2026 with the new versions, designed to be cheaper and with a higher reliability on electrical power, as well as using fully sustainable fuel.
We already know that Audi will enter from 2026 alongside Sauber as a works outfit, creating their own power unit, while the likes of Porsche also remain interested after their negotiations with Red Bull broke down. Ford have been credited with an interest in returning to Formula 1 too, although not as an outright PU supplier.
Aston Martin have entertained the idea of perhaps becoming a power unit manufacturer in their own right with the backing of main sponsor Aramco, so could a brand like Porsche or Ford get involved? Their technical support would likely be a very valuable asset.
Honda meanwhile are weighing up an official comeback, so Aston Martin could be the ideal partner, having seen the success of the Red Bull-Honda combo.
Or, even a more left-field option could enter the equation for Aston Martin. Former Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul for example has been linked with the top job at Hyundai’s motorsport division, with talk that this could be seen as the brand opening the door for a look inside at what Formula 1 could offer.
Aston Martin are yet to experience life at the front of the F1 grid, where any limitations of using the Mercedes PU could start to emerge. They may well be wise then to explore the potential options that could allow them to become a fully fledged and independent works team.
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