Dan Fallows, Aston Martin’s Formula 1 technical director, trust Aston Martin is not at disadvantage by buying Mercedes customer engine.
Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin owner, had ambitions to challenge the teams for championship title in coming year. This would require the team to beat its engine providing team with similar engines.
Mostly, title contending top teams prefer to have their own power unit development unit. This helps their chassis department to work closely with the power engineers to find the right solution.
Recently, Red Bull F1 team has moved into similar direction by creating its own engine department. In past, Stroll has also hinted for a similar move for Aston Martin. But there are no plans in-place for the 2026 regulation era.
Fallows claim that using competitor, Mercedes, engine won’t hurt their title ambitions.
He does not feel customer engine as a barrier to the progress the team require for its ambition. Fallows added: “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 is a problem at all.”
Currently, Aston Martin purchases the complete rear end from Mercedes. It includes power terrain, gear box and suspension component, which are allowed to be shared among team by the regulations.
Fallows on in-house capacity
Fallows does not reject the possibility of traditional way of relying on itself for championship title battle.
“I think we’re pretty open-minded about that kind of thing. As I said, I think what this team has gained from its relationship with MGP has been immense.
“And as we move into the future and do things our own way or take on our own projects, we’re very mindful that we have to be able to do them at least as well as, if not better than they do.
“That’s a capability we would have to build up before we even thought about making those decisions.”
Fallows added on gearbox in house manufacturing: “I don’t know. Honestly, what we look at in the future is all open, really.
“Lawrence is very open about his ambitions for this team, and I think we always have to evaluate what is the next thing that will help us become more competitive.
“At the moment, I don’t see any of the stuff that we get from MGP is holding us back in any way.”
