Lawrence Stroll has never made a secret of having ambitious plans for Aston Martin's future in Formula 1, so much so that he invested large sums of money to create a team capable of fighting for the world title within a few years.
The investments did not only come in terms of personnel, thanks to which prominent engineers arrived from rival teams, but also in terms of infrastructure, in order to guarantee all the tools necessary to aim high. All this has made it possible to attract not only high-level technicians, but also a great manufacturer like Honda, which has decided to return to Formula 1 from 2026 by signing a partnership with the Silverstone team.
In recent years the team has started work on a new factory, a new wind tunnel and a new latest generation simulator, in order to put its staff in a position to have all the elements necessary to create a car capable of playing permanently in the top positions.
Mercedes wind tunnel also used by Aston Martin
Photo by: Mercedes AMG
The move to the new factory, with an overall project worth around 200 million pounds, took place progressively starting from May of last season. On the contrary, the construction of the wind tunnel and the simulator will require more time: a very precise choice, mainly due to the fact that it was necessary to divide the work into several phases, giving maximum priority to the construction of the new headquarters, with larger spaces and equipment cutting edge.
At the moment Aston Martin uses the wind tunnel located in Brackley also used by Mercedes, but by September this year it should have the new structure available. “We would like to go from fifth to fourth, to third position, whatever it is. The goal is to continue to progress,” said the team owner on the sidelines of the presentation of the AMR24, the car that will take to the track during the 2024 Formula 1 season.
“We are a young team. We have just moved to a new facility. Our wind tunnel will be ready in September this year. We are the last team without our own wind tunnel. In 2026 we will also have Honda Power Units, so let's continue on our path to win,” added Stroll.
After the testing phase, the new tunnel will reveal a precious ally not only for the 2025 single-seater, particularly in the development rather than design phase, but also for the 2026 car, the first of the new regulatory cycle.
Construction work at Silverstone
Photo by: Aston Martin Racing
Having a structure represents a great advantage, both from a timing and financial point of view. Until last year, McLaren was also often forced to use Toyota's wind tunnel in Cologne, Germany, thus having to limit the quantity of parts to be tested, given the time required for transport. Although Silverstone and Brackley are less than half an hour apart, having its own structure will allow Aston Martin not to have to depend on others in terms of timing, thus being able to react quickly if it is necessary to intervene with a new part.
“It's definitely better to have it on site. Having your own wind tunnel means being able to use it whenever you want, in compliance with the regulations [sulle restrizioni alle prove aerodinamiche]. If you have a problem or learn something, you can stop, go back, produce new pieces, reflect on something, go back and turn it on again. This gives you extra flexibility. You can really operate seven days a week.”
“When you have the wind tunnel on site, if there is a problem, the people who design the parts are in the building next to you. This will certainly help communication,” explained Tom McCullough last year, highlighting the potential benefits of a structure a few steps from the production department.
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