Aston Martin won’t enter Formula 1 engine manufacturing because the series changed its mind about simplifying the engines, says the company’s CEO, Andy Palmer.
The iconic British car maker who is also Red Bull’s title sponsor, had shown initial interest in the regulation change coming to the sport in 2021.
Liberty Media had originally set out to create a simpler and cheaper engine to attract new manufacturers into the sport. Cosworth, Porsche and Aston Martin attended a few meetings that discussed the new engine regulations earlier this year.
Speaking with Reuters, Palmer said: “When it looked like the rules were going to change, we did take a look at whether we should do our own engine for F1,”
“But then [commercial rights holders] Liberty [Media] essentially changed their mind and continued with the current engine, so we cancelled those plans.”
Liberty wanted to scrap the MGU-H and make some components available to new engine makers for a cost. But when they saw no one expressing interest, they decided to stay with the current formula.
Though Mercedes has dominated the series since the introduction of the turbo hybrid era, the gap between the four current manufacturers is closing.
“The premise that was being put forward originally was an investment cap on the engine and it would be simplified,” said Palmer.
“Simplification was around the turbocharger and the energy recovery, essentially taking that unit out which is where the majority of the development exists. As soon as the cap was removed, it was not viable for us.”
Speaking of Red Bull’s decision to use Honda engines, Palmer supported the idea and said: “Red Bull makes its own decision, I’m certainly supportive of that decision. It is a good way to go,”
