Could Aston Martin be Formula 1’s next dominant force?
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00:00To sign Adrian Newey as their chief designer, Aston Martin have pulled off something of
00:07a coup in Formula One. Newey's CV is full of success, and he explained why he chose
00:13Aston Martin, having departed from current champions Red Bull Racing.
00:17I was very flattered by the number of teams that then approached me, but talking to Lawrence,
00:26his passion and commitment and enthusiasm and also desire to make me a partner and shareholder,
00:37it became very much the clear choice that if I was going to stay in Formula One, it
00:42should be with Aston Martin.
00:44Formula One's technical regulations are set for a major overhaul in 2026, something which
00:49Newey has his sights set on in terms of delivering the best possible package for Aston Martin
00:54to compete at the front of the grid.
00:57We've got a big regulation change coming for 2026. It's the first time I can certainly
01:04remember where simultaneously we've got new power unit regulations and chassis regulations,
01:11where the latter is to try and suit the quirks of the power unit regulations. It's a big
01:18challenge for everybody on the grid to get those cars designed and ready. A lot of variables
01:25in there. The interaction of the power unit with the chassis is going to be very important.
01:32So it really is a big challenge. There's clearly an opportunity there. Whether we can capitalise
01:41on that in a relatively short space of time or not, I honestly don't know at the moment,
01:47but we'll all be giving it our best shot.
01:50The team have recently launched Generation 3 in partnership with Saudi-based petroleum
01:54company Aramco, an initiative that they hope will aid both on- and off-track performance
02:00as well as providing real-world benefits.
02:06Lawrence and everybody, in choosing the technical partners, they've done a fabulous job. Aramco
02:12obviously on the fuel side, the biggest petroleum company in the world. Tremendous resources,
02:19commitment. Honda, I've been lucky enough to work with over the last six years or so.
02:27Very impressive company.
02:29As well as Nui, engineering director Claudio Santoni was also keen to look ahead to 2026,
02:35indicating that the team see the rule changes as pivotal in their championship-winning aspirations.
02:40The 2026 changes in the technical regulation, we have one of the strongest technology partners
02:49with Aramco working on a range of different technologies for meeting those challenges
02:56in 2026.