Aston Martin is currently battling for sixth place in the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship, but team principal Andy Cowell has acknowledged that the 2025 campaign is essentially a transitional year for the team owned by Lawrence Stroll.
“On Saturday evening after qualifying we are not happy, on Sunday at the end of the Grand Prix we are not happy, on Monday we are still not happy — but then we start working again and remind ourselves that we are aiming for the stars,” Andy Cowell explained, underlining the mental challenge of enduring a season in which results are not yet matching long-term ambitions.
The Silverstone-based team has made major moves for the future, securing the services of legendary designer Adrian Newey and former Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile. However, Cowell admitted that the benefits of these high-profile signings will not be seen until 2026, or perhaps even 2027, when the impact of their work and the sweeping Formula 1 regulation changes truly come into play.
At the start of the current season, several paddock insiders predicted Aston Martin as one of the big disappointments of 2025, and indeed results initially reflected those low expectations. However, in the final race before the summer break, the team scored 16 valuable points, which significantly changed the complexion of the Constructors’ Championship standings. Aston Martin now sits in sixth place, holding a narrow one-point advantage over a surprisingly competitive Sauber.
From the very first day at Aston Martin, Adrian Newey has been focused exclusively on the 2026 car project. As a result, the 2025 campaign was deliberately sacrificed to ensure full concentration on the upcoming technical revolution, which will see the team competing with exclusive Honda power units under the new regulations.
“If, from the first of March, Adrian Newey had dedicated all his efforts to improving the 2025 car, I am absolutely certain we would be further up the grid today,” Andy Cowell told racingnews365.com. “But we made the decision not to do that, choosing instead to focus on the 2026 season and the years beyond, when we will see the fruits of Newey’s work. When you set ambitious goals, you push yourself to work towards perfection. That is my philosophy, and I believe Lawrence Stroll shares this vision.”
The message from Aston Martin’s leadership is clear: short-term pain is acceptable if it leads to long-term gain, and with figures like Adrian Newey and Enrico Cardile shaping the team’s future, the ambitions in Silverstone go far beyond simply fighting for sixth place in the standings.
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