Yesterday, Aston Martin shared a post on X highlighting the infrastructure progress made in recent years. The post included a side-by-side comparison showing the advancements in constructing the Silverstone campus, which will soon be fully operational when the new wind tunnel conducts its first official test. This tool is essential for competing at the highest levels, especially from 2026 onward, as the AMR25 will still be developed at the Mercedes-owned Brackley facility.
Although no one within the team openly claims that 2025 will be a transitional year, this sentiment is widespread. With regulatory stability and after a highly disappointing 2024 season, it seems unlikely that Lawrence Stroll’s team will make a dramatic leap forward to overtake four formidable competitors—Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, and reigning champions McLaren—in one go.
March 1 will be a pivotal date for the British team as Adrian Newey, the highly sought-after and handsomely compensated “tech star,” will finally begin working directly on the 2026 project. With the collaboration with Honda, there is hope that Aston Martin can break through and elevate its performance to a level where it can immediately compete for race wins, if not more.
With this in mind, the upcoming season, starting in Australia, risks being little more than a testing ground for processes imposed and defined by Andy Cowell, who has taken on the dual role of team principal and CEO.
Aston Martin 2025: Johnny Herbert’s skepticism
Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert is not optimistic about the team’s short-term prospects, even with the arrival of ex-Ferrari engineer Enrico Cardile.
“Aston Martin is the team under the most pressure. It has underperformed in recent years, failing to maintain the initial momentum after a promising start a couple of seasons ago. Then everything stalled. Now, a lot has changed, but it will take time to see tangible results. I think Aston Martin will probably be the biggest disappointment of 2025,” Herbert stated in an interview with Casinoutanspelpaus.io.
Herbert tempered his critique by noting positive developments: “Aston Martin probably feels the most pressure, especially given the expectations tied to Lawrence Stroll’s investments. Now they have to prove they’re up to the challenge. However, there are many positive signs, such as Adrian Newey’s arrival, the new wind tunnel, and all the infrastructure improvements.”
Could the driver lineup be a short-term issue? “Fernando Alonso has seemed a bit frustrated on some occasions, but that’s typical of him. Lance Stroll also needs to improve—both drivers must find balance and learn to support each other to push the team forward,” Herbert concluded.
It’s unclear whether Herbert’s doubts about Aston Martin’s driver lineup are shared by the team’s leadership. Max Verstappen’s name has come up repeatedly for 2026. It’s no secret that the Dutchman has a release clause in his contract allowing him to leave if the car’s performance fails to meet his expectations. With Milton Keynes set to take full control of engine production, the future of the team looks anything but stable.
Perhaps Lawrence Stroll, after an impressive hiring spree, might make one last push, leveraging the generous sponsors drawn to his vision, to secure the services of the four-time world champion.
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