Aston Martin heads to Imola aiming to reverse course after a season start that has so far fallen short of expectations. The performance of the British team has been below par, particularly after a 2024 campaign that already showed early signs of decline. The data speaks for itself: among all the teams, Aston has shown the least progress compared to the beginning of last year.
The midfield battle is extremely tight, and a few tenths can mean the difference between Q3 and the back of the grid. Aston Martin continues to struggle with technical development, an issue that’s plagued the team for nearly two seasons, starting with its inability to effectively evolve the AMR23. In this context, the updates arriving at Imola take on critical importance.
For the Santerno weekend, the team has chosen to intervene on the upper part of the bodywork and, most notably, introduce a new floor—the most sensitive element on ground effect cars, and one that has caused considerable difficulty in recent years. In 2024, for example, these issues led engineers to create different specifications depending on circuit characteristics—something highly unusual.
The new floor debuting at Imola will be a key testing ground, more significant than it may appear. The updates were conceived in the previous wind tunnel between late December and the start of 2025, but the final phases of development took place in the new Silverstone wind tunnel, which officially became operational during the Australian GP weekend.
The goal is twofold: on one hand, to increase aerodynamic load without compromising the drivability gained over the winter break; on the other, to verify the correlation between track data and the new wind tunnel. This is a vital step, given that extensive correlation work had previously delayed the facility’s full functionality.
“It’s a step forward. This package includes changes to the floor and upper bodywork, and it was designed between December and the opening race in Melbourne. It’s the first relevant set of components to go through the new wind tunnel before production,” said Team Principal Andy Cowell on Thursday in Imola.
Cowell explained that most of the work was done in the old facility, while the final aerodynamic mapping was refined in the Silverstone wind tunnel—these are the first significant elements tested with the new equipment. “From now on, everything we develop will go through there. It’s essential that the data gathered at the factory, especially in the new tunnel, is as accurate as possible.”
The team is well aware that the behavior of a full-scale car, with its complex dynamics on track—bumps, corners, variations in stiffness—can differ from what’s seen in scale models. “That’s exactly what we want to better understand starting tomorrow: how to test on track more rigorously,” Cowell added, also noting that the continuation of AMR25’s development will depend on the success of these updates.
Originally, the team had considered introducing the new components in Miami two weeks ago. However, they deliberately postponed production to wait for reliable feedback from the new Silverstone wind tunnel, which became fully operational during the Australian Grand Prix weekend in Melbourne.
The 2025 season is a crucial year for Aston Martin, not just in terms of results but especially to lay the foundation for the future. Several engineers have joined (or will soon join) the team, including new Technical Director Enrico Cardile. At the same time, the team’s infrastructure is being enhanced with cutting-edge tools.
The real challenge now is to create the right synergy between people, processes, and technologies. That’s why Imola holds strategic significance—not just as a chance to relaunch the season, but as an initial testbed to assess the direction taken.
“We have very talented people. Now we need to figure out how to make them work best together, so we can quickly turn ideas into effective components to bring to the track. The key is to reduce the time between conception and delivery, without compromising quality. That’s our priority—and what will define our future.”
Leave a Reply