Daily News 19

Tag: Aston Martin

  • Honda Replaces F1 Power Unit Chief Ahead of Aston Martin Partnership

    Honda Replaces F1 Power Unit Chief Ahead of Aston Martin Partnership

    Key Highlights

    • Honda Racing Corporation replaces F1 Power Unit development leader Tetsushi Kakuda with deputy Yoichiro Fukao, effective October 1, 2026, citing a planned transition to accelerate development.
    • The leadership change comes amid a difficult start to the 2026 regulatory era, where Honda has struggled for performance and reliability, qualifying for extra development allowances under the ADUO system.
    • Further discussions involving FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll, and driver Fernando Alonso explore additional support mechanisms for the Japanese manufacturer ahead of 2027 rule changes.

    Honda Reshuffles F1 Engineering Leadership to Address 2026 Struggles

    Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) has announced a significant leadership change within its Formula 1 power unit division, removing Tetsushi Kakuda from the role of Large Project Leader (LPL) and promoting his deputy, Yoichiro Fukao, effective October 1, 2026. The move arrives at a critical juncture for the Japanese manufacturer, which has endured a torrid introduction to the sport’s new regulatory framework introduced this season.

    In an official statement, HRC framed the decision as a deliberate step to strengthen its technical trajectory. “Honda Racing Corporation will implement a change in the leadership of its F1 Power Unit (PU) development programme, effective October 1st, 2026, with the aim of further accelerating PU development and ensuring a smooth transition to the next generation of engineers,” Honda said in a statement. The announcement underscores a dual mandate: immediate performance recovery and long-term succession planning.

    Fukao Elevated from Software Division to Lead Power Unit Programme

    Yoichiro Fukao steps into the LPL position after serving as Assistant LPL, Deputy Leader of the F1 Project, and Head of the Software Division. His appointment signals a potential shift toward software-centric development strategies, a critical area given the increased reliance on electrical deployment and energy management under the 2026 rules. “Yoichiro Fukao, currently serving as Assistant LPL (Deputy Leader of the F1 Project, Head of the Software Division), will assume the role of LPL (Large Project Leader), succeeding Tetsushi Kakuda, who has led the PU development to date,” the statement confirmed.

    HRC emphasized continuity despite the change at the top. “This organisational change is a planned transition designed to ensure the reliable transfer of technical expertise to the next generation of engineers.” Kakuda’s tenure saw Honda achieve championship success with Red Bull Racing prior to the manufacturer’s brief hiatus and subsequent return as a works partner to Aston Martin, but the current regulatory reset has exposed significant deficits.

    Disastrous 2026 Campaign Triggers Emergency Development Measures

    The leadership upheaval cannot be separated from Honda’s on-track reality. The 2026 regulation overhaul — featuring vastly increased electrical power contribution, active aerodynamics, and standardized components — has left the Sakura-based operation off the pace and plagued by reliability gremlins. The deficit was severe enough to trigger the Additional Development Upgrade Option (ADUO) in May, granting Honda extra dyno hours and component allocations beyond the standard development caps.

    Yet the concessions have proven insufficient. Over the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, the crisis escalated to the sport’s highest governance level. FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem held direct talks with Aston Martin Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll and two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso to discuss further remedial actions. Both Mercedes and Red Bull Ford Powertrains have reportedly signaled openness to revising the ADUO framework to grant Honda even greater latitude.

    Early Restructuring Targets 2027 Regulatory Evolution

    Honda’s statement explicitly links the October transition to the next regulatory horizon. “Following the introduction of the new regulations in 2026, and with further regulatory changes expected from 2027 onwards, Honda aims to establish a robust development framework and deliver a highly competitive PU by transitioning to the new structure at an early stage,” Honda added. This forward-looking rationale suggests the manufacturer views 2026 as a write-off in championship terms, instead prioritizing the architectural foundations for the next rule cycle.

    Why This Matters

    The leadership change at Honda Racing Corporation reflects the profound difficulty of the 2026 power unit regulations, which have upended the competitive order and exposed the limits of pre-season simulation. For Aston Martin, the works partnership with Honda was meant to be a cornerstone of their championship ambition, backed by Lawrence Stroll’s significant investment in a new Silverstone campus and the recruitment of Adrian Newey. Instead, the team languishes in the midfield, and Fernando Alonso’s twilight years are being spent developing an uncompetitive package.

    The involvement of the FIA President in direct negotiations with a manufacturer’s commercial partners is highly unusual and underscores the governance challenge: how to maintain a level playing field while preventing a works entrant from becoming permanently uncompetitive. The willingness of rival manufacturers Mercedes and Red Bull Ford Powertrains to accommodate further ADUO adjustments suggests a collective recognition that a healthy Honda is essential for the sport’s technical diversity and the Aston Martin project’s viability. With 2027 rule tweaks already on the horizon, Honda’s decision to restructure now — rather than await the season’s end — signals a recognition that the current development trajectory is fundamentally misaligned.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why is Honda changing its F1 power unit leader mid-season?

    Honda Racing Corporation describes the replacement of Tetsushi Kakuda with Yoichiro Fukao as a “planned transition” designed to accelerate development and transfer expertise to the next generation. However, the timing — effective October 1, 2026 — coincides with a disastrous start to the new regulations where Honda has qualified for extra development help (ADUO) due to performance and reliability deficits. The move aims to reset the technical direction ahead of further regulatory changes expected in 2027.

    What is the ADUO system and how does it affect Honda?

    The Additional Development Upgrade Option (ADUO) is a regulatory mechanism that grants manufacturers falling behind extra power unit development resources — such as additional dyno hours and component allocations — beyond the standard caps. Honda triggered ADUO in May 2026. Following the Spanish Grand Prix, discussions between FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, Aston Martin’s Lawrence Stroll, and Fernando Alonso explored expanding these concessions further, with rivals Mercedes and Red Bull Ford Powertrains reportedly open to adjustments.

    Who is Yoichiro Fukao and what does his background suggest?

    Yoichiro Fukao previously served as Assistant LPL (Deputy Leader of the F1 Project) and Head of the Software Division at Honda Racing Corporation. His promotion from the software side highlights the increasing importance of energy management, deployment strategies, and control systems under the 2026 rules, which dramatically increase the electrical power contribution to over 50% of total output.

  • Monday Morning Debrief: Could Lando Norris Have Won the Spanish Grand Prix After the VSC?

    Monday Morning Debrief: Could Lando Norris Have Won the Spanish Grand Prix After the VSC?

    Lance Stroll’s race came to an abrupt end on Lap 13 of the Grand Prix after a catastrophic brake failure sent his Aston Martin into the run-off area at Turn 20. The Canadian driver hit the brakes for the corner and the pedal went to the floor, leaving him stranded and triggering a chain of events that dramatically altered the race outcome.

    Virtual Safety Car Timing Costs Norris Victory Chance

    The deployment of a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) to clear Stroll’s stricken car proved decisive for the race lead. Lando Norris had just passed the pit exit to begin Lap 14 when the VSC was called, a timing misfortune that effectively handed the strategic advantage to his rivals.

    Antonelli Capitalises on Fortuitous Timing

    Kimi Antonelli was in the perfect position to exploit the VSC window. The young driver arrived at the pit lane entry just in time to make a “free” pit stop under the neutralised conditions, minimising time loss and vaulting himself into a race-winning position that the on-track pace alone might not have secured.

  • Lance Stroll Faces Grid Penalty at Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid

    Lance Stroll Faces Grid Penalty at Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid

    Lance Stroll Hit With 40-Place Grid Penalty for Spanish Grand Prix

    Aston Martin has confirmed that Lance Stroll will serve a substantial grid penalty at the Spanish Grand Prix after the team introduced a suite of new power unit elements on his AMR26. The changes push multiple components beyond their season allocations, triggering a cumulative 40-place drop that will relegate the Canadian driver to the back of the starting grid.

    Power Unit Changes Exceed Allocation Limits

    According to the FIA’s technical delegate report, Stroll’s car is now running its fifth internal combustion engine (ICE), fifth turbocharger, and fifth Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic (MGU-K). Additionally, the team has fitted a sixth Energy Store (ES) and a seventh Power Unit Ancillaries (PU-ANC) unit.

    Under Formula 1’s sporting regulations, the first time a driver exceeds the permitted allocation for any power unit element, a 10-place grid penalty is applied. Each subsequent exceedance of the same element incurs a five-place penalty. All penalties accumulated at a single event are applied cumulatively.

    Breakdown of Stroll’s Penalties

    • Fifth ICE: 10-place penalty
    • Fifth Turbocharger: 10-place penalty
    • Seventh PU-ANC: 10-place penalty
    • Sixth Energy Store: 5-place penalty
    • Fifth MGU-K: 5-place penalty

    The combined total amounts to a 40-place grid drop. Since any penalty exceeding 15 places mandates a start from the back of the field, Stroll will line up in last position for Sunday’s race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, regardless of his qualifying performance.

    Reliability Woes Surface During Friday Practice

    The decision to introduce fresh components follows a troubling Friday at the Madrid circuit. Stroll encountered a suspected battery issue towards the end of Free Practice 2, cutting his running short. The problem aligns with the Energy Store change and raises questions about the reliability of the current specification.

    Teammate Fernando Alonso also suffered a setback during the opening session. The two-time world champion was sidelined by a clutch problem in Free Practice 1 but managed to resume his programme in the afternoon session. The pair of incidents underscore a difficult start to the weekend for the Silverstone-based squad.

    Strategic Implications for Aston Martin

    With Stroll condemned to the rear of the grid, Aston Martin’s hopes for a strong constructors’ points haul rest heavily on Alonso’s shoulders. The team will likely use Stroll’s race as an opportunity to gather data on the new power unit configuration over a full race distance, potentially sacrificing his result to validate the upgraded components for future rounds.

    The Spanish Grand Prix marks the latest chapter in a season where power unit reliability and allocation management have become critical strategic battlegrounds. As the championship reaches its European swing, further penalties across the grid appear inevitable.

  • Aston Martin: Lance Stroll “Unbeatable” at Many F1 Tracks

    Aston Martin: Lance Stroll “Unbeatable” at Many F1 Tracks

    Pedro de la Rosa Praises Lance Stroll’s Raw Speed, Calls Him “As Quick” as Fernando Alonso

    Aston Martin Formula 1 ambassador Pedro de la Rosa has delivered a strong endorsement of Lance Stroll, stating the Canadian driver can match two-time world champion Fernando Alonso in outright pace when the car behaves predictably. Speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast, the former F1 driver highlighted Stroll’s underrated qualifying speed and racecraft, while acknowledging the machinery challenges that have masked his true level.

    Teammate Comparison Since 2023

    Stroll and Alonso have shared the Aston Martin garage since the start of the 2023 season. Over that span, Alonso holds a decisive statistical edge: he has outqualified Stroll 89 times to 15 and outscored him 335 points to 131. Even in the 2026 campaign, with Alonso now 45 and Stroll more experienced, the Spaniard remains roughly three tenths of a second faster per qualifying lap on average.

    Despite the numbers, de la Rosa—who analyses performance through a data-driven lens—argues the raw speed gap is far narrower than the results suggest.

    “Lance Is Super Fast” – De la Rosa’s Data-Driven Verdict

    “Lance is super fast,” the former F1 driver said. “You know, I love to watch data because I’m data-driven. And I like to see where one driver is faster than the other. And Lance, in many circuits, in many corners, is unbeatable.

    “It’s not like you can say Lance is fast in high-speed, Fernando in… They’re both very evenly matched.

    De la Rosa emphasized that Stroll’s strength spans every corner type, dismissing the notion that either driver holds a sector-specific advantage.

    “Lance is extremely quick in all types of corners. It’s just that sometimes he’s had some mistakes in qualifying or little things that then eventually if you don’t qualify up there, it just compromises the whole weekend. That’s where he’s missing, you know, it’s just sometimes putting everything together in quali.

    “But sometimes he gets it in quali and he outqualifies Fernando, which is like… I mean, we’re talking about Fernando Alonso, you know.

    “And in races, his race pace is impressive as well. He’s very good managing tyres.”

    The Critical Variable: Car Driveability

    De la Rosa was clear that Stroll’s ability to extract maximum performance is highly sensitive to the car’s characteristics. He described the current Aston Martin as “a very difficult car right now for many reasons, not only car, chassis, but also on the engine, we have to make improvements on driveability.”

    “I think Lance is a very underrated driver,” he continued. “When we improve the car and make it a bit more driver-friendly – I must say it’s a very difficult car right now for many reasons, not only car, chassis, but also on the engine, we have to make improvements on driveability – whenever the car is driving properly, he’s as quick as Fernando. There’s no question about that.”

    The ambassador’s assessment reframes Stroll’s deficit as a product of machinery limitations and qualifying consistency rather than a fundamental pace shortage. If Aston Martin delivers a more balanced, driveable package, de la Rosa believes the intra-team battle will be far closer than the standings indicate.

  • ‘One of the best moments we’ve had’ – Pedro de la Rosa on how Aston Martin’s risky upgrade strategy paid off

    ‘One of the best moments we’ve had’ – Pedro de la Rosa on how Aston Martin’s risky upgrade strategy paid off

    Pedro de la Rosa has reflected on “one of the best moments we’ve had so far” during the latest episode of the official F1 podcast Beyond The Grid. The Aston Martin Team Representative detailed the tension surrounding the squad’s concentrated upgrade schedule, revealing he was “very nervous” as the heavily revised AMR26 hit the track in Hungary.

    ‘Everything worked as planned’

    The Silverstone-based outfit endured a difficult start to the 2026 campaign, grappling with reliability gremlins and a performance deficit. Instead of drip-feeding updates across multiple weekends like their rivals, Aston Martin opted for a bold B-spec launch at Round 11. The gamble paid immediate dividends: the revised machinery vaulted ahead of Cadillac and Williams in qualifying, with further momentum arriving via a new Honda power unit in the Netherlands.

    De la Rosa conceded the performance gain was never guaranteed, but Fernando Alonso delivered an instant verdict after the installation lap.

    “I would lie if I said I was not very nervous because you are expecting, you are hoping, you’ve been waiting a long time, and then the car just starts,” he said. “I looked at the car and the side pods were so small, the radiators look the smallest I’ve ever seen in my life.

    “And I thought ‘OK, the aero numbers are promising, but maybe the cooling is not enough.’ Or you start thinking about many other scenarios where I’ve been, because I’ve been in most of the most unwanted scenarios in F1. But everything worked as planned.

    “Then after the installation lap, you looked around and the people were relieved because everything was working as expected. With Fernando, I know him so much that we look at the eyes. I always try to be at the front of the car when he comes in after a run. He looks at me, I look at him, and I know exactly what he’s thinking.

    “I don’t even need to listen to the radio. And his eyes look like, ‘yes, it’s working.’ Sometimes we’ve had upgrades in the past and I look at him and he immediately doesn’t want to look at my eyes. When he tries to refuse the eye contact, I know we are in trouble. But that time he looked and he was just like, ‘yeah, it’s there, it’s there.’”

    “It was a very exciting moment. You always have to focus on things you can change, you can do, you can improve. That was, OK, not where we wanted to be, I repeat again, but it was one of the best moments we’ve had so far this season.”

    Upgrades not a factor in Alonso’s future

    With persistent speculation surrounding Alonso’s future in the sport, his visible satisfaction provided a timely morale boost. However, De la Rosa insisted the upgrade timeline was never designed to influence the Spaniard’s contract decision.

    “I think that decision was never based [on] if we lost anyone or anything. I think that Fernando, whatever his decision will be, you have to believe in a project, you know, not if the car is quick on the next race.

    “I think Fernando is so wise, he’s learned so much, that it’s either you believe in the project or you don’t. It’s not whether we managed to improve the car for the summer break as we were expecting.”

    ‘in good hands’ with Adrian Newey

    The team’s early struggles surprised many observers given the high-profile arrival of Adrian Newey last season. Widely regarded as one of the most successful designers in Formula 1 history, Newey’s move from Red Bull was expected to deliver immediate front-running pace. While that transformation remains a work in progress, De la Rosa praised how seamlessly the Briton has integrated into the operation, offering a modern interpretation of the Team Principal role.

    “I must say that Team Principal is a title,” he explained. “It’s not a job description. Adrian has said it many times. We are fortunate in the team having Mike Krack as well, an experienced Team Principal, now chief track operations.

    “But when Adrian is not at the racetrack, Mike acts like a Team Principal. I think we have a very luxurious situation where we have people working in different areas covering for when Adrian is not here. Other teams have different structures.

    “It’s quite ambiguous now what a Team Principal job description really is. In my time, you had a Team Principal that was taking all the decisions. But now you have a Team Principal and normally you also have a CEO on top of them. I think that we have a very good structure. As long as Adrian feels comfortable and competitive, we’re in good hands.”

    Taking steps towards where they want to be

    Aston Martin has been clear that scraping points—achieved twice in 2026 with Alonso—falls well short of their ultimate ambition. The gap to the frontrunners remains significant, but De la Rosa expressed confidence in the current trajectory.

    “I think that we are in the upward trend,” he concluded. “I’ve said it in Australia this year, when we started this, we were nowhere. But all we need to do is improve and never stop improving.

    “Obviously, our strategy was different. We didn’t improve until the summer, but we’ve made a big step. We are now in a position we cannot stop. It’s just a race of time. The people have done a better job than us. That’s why they’re winning. We just have to slowly chip away all this difference. That’s where we are.

    “Everyone has to feel accountable for the results. Everyone has to feel super motivated. We have an amazing partner in Honda that we’ve managed to survive very difficult times together. We can’t stop and we won’t stop.

    “We can do it. It’s just a matter of never stop the development path that we are in right now. The only teams that do win are the ones that make the right investments. I believe I’m in the right team that is definitely making the right investments.”

    To listen to this week’s episode of Beyond The Grid, simply hit go on the audio player above or click here to listen via your preferred podcasting platform.

    You can also check out a huge selection of previous episodes—spanning every decade of F1—in our dedicated Beyond The Grid library.

    You can also watch the podcast on the F1 YouTube channel.

  • Red Bull Hire Aston Martin Engineer Tom McCullough as Head of Racing

    Red Bull Hire Aston Martin Engineer Tom McCullough as Head of Racing

    Red Bull have appointed former Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough as their head of racing from 2027.

    The 50-year-old Briton will replace Gianpiero Lambiase, who is set to join McLaren as chief racing officer by an unspecified date in 2028.

    Red Bull said they “looked forward to the wealth of experience and expertise he will bring to the role” when McCullough joins at the start of 2027.

    McCullough returns to a senior Formula 1 role

    McCullough is a highly respected figure in Formula 1. He spent more than a decade with the team now known as Aston Martin, working through its previous identities as Force India and Racing Point. Before joining the team, he held roles at Williams and Sauber.

    In January 2025, a restructure moved McCullough away from Aston Martin’s Formula 1 race team and into its performance technologies division.

    His new position at Red Bull will effectively oversee all aspects of the race team under team principal Laurent Mekies.

    It remains to be seen whether McCullough’s appointment will help Red Bull and McLaren negotiate an agreement allowing Lambiase to leave earlier than currently planned.

    Lambiase is widely known as Max Verstappen’s race engineer, as well as for the direct and unfiltered relationship between the pair during their team radio exchanges.

  • Red Bull Confirms Key Aston Martin Engineer as Gianpiero Lambiase Replacement

    Red Bull Confirms Key Aston Martin Engineer as Gianpiero Lambiase Replacement

    Red Bull hires Aston Martin engineer Tom McCullough as head of racing

    Red Bull has confirmed the appointment of long-time Aston Martin engineer Tom McCullough as its new head of racing, replacing McLaren-bound Gianpiero Lambiase.

    Lambiase is due to join McLaren in 2028 as its chief racing officer, reporting to team principal Andrea Stella. He currently combines his role as Max Verstappen’s race engineer with the broader “head of racing” position at Red Bull.

    Verstappen’s former performance engineer, Tom Hart, has already decided against moving to Williams and will instead take over as Verstappen’s race engineer from 2027. Red Bull has now also secured Lambiase’s successor in McCullough, who will join the Milton Keynes team at the beginning of 2027.

    “We’re delighted to welcome Tom to the team at the beginning of 2027 and look forward to the wealth of experience and expertise he will bring to the role,” the team said in a statement.

    Gianpiero Lambiase is set to depart Red Bull by 2028 at the latest
    Gianpiero Lambiase is set to depart Red Bull by 2028 at the latest. Photo by: Kym Illman / Getty Images

    Tom McCullough’s Formula 1 career

    McCullough was a long-serving member of Aston Martin through its Force India and Racing Point eras. He spent four seasons as chief race engineer before becoming the team’s performance director, a position he held until the end of the 2024 season.

    Following a restructuring at Aston Martin in early 2025, former team principal Mike Krack assumed McCullough’s responsibilities. McCullough subsequently moved to a senior leadership role working on non-Formula 1 projects at Aston Martin Performance Technologies, a position he is now set to leave.

    The 50-year-old began his career with chassis manufacturer Reynard and later held roles at Sauber and Williams.

  • Jenson Button Compares Fernando Alonso to Michael Schumacher

    Jenson Button Compares Fernando Alonso to Michael Schumacher

    Jenson Button has compared racing against Fernando Alonso with battling Michael Schumacher, praising the Spaniard’s aggressive but fair approach and ability to adapt to any Formula 1 car.

    Writing in his Jenson’s Journal column for Aston Martin ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, the 2009 F1 world champion reflected on Alonso’s career as speculation continues over whether the Aston Martin driver will remain in the championship beyond the 2026 season.

    “The biggest compliment I can give Fernando is that fighting him was very similar to fighting with Michael Schumacher,” Button wrote. “In my experience against them it would be hard but fair – it was on the limit every time and I loved that. That was part of the challenge.

    “When I won my first grand prix in Hungary, I was fighting against them and that’s what you want as a driver. You want to be fighting against the best, against the greats, to see how you compare.

    “In my career I got to race against the likes of Fernando and Michael, as well as Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. I’ve been really lucky to have raced against some of the true legends of the sport.”

    Button also highlighted Alonso’s distinctive driving style and versatility across different cars and set-ups.

    “Fernando drives like no one else. He’s aggressive, he can adapt brilliantly, and it’s been that way all through his career.”

    Jenson Button backs Fernando Alonso to continue in F1

    Alonso, 45, has faced growing questions about his Formula 1 future. Rumours of retirement and a possible move to Alpine have circulated, but the Aston Martin driver has not yet confirmed his plans beyond the 2026 season.

    “Obviously, this year has been tough, but it’s still an exciting time to be at Aston Martin Aramco and to be working with people like Adrian Newey. Any F1 driver would love to race a car designed by him, and to experience first-hand him driving this team forward,” Button added.

    “I know how difficult it is to decide your future, and he’s been there once before. He left the sport and came back, so he obviously left too early. Now, he will make sure that he’s 100 per cent certain that he doesn’t want to be in the sport before he leaves.

    “Fernando’s still got so much more to give in F1. I would love to see him in an Aston Martin fighting for wins. That’s where he should be, and it’s where this team is aiming to be.”

    Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

    Source: www.motorsport.com

  • Fernando Alonso “saved” Aston Martin After Difficult Dutch GP Weekend, Says Guenther Steiner

    Fernando Alonso “saved” Aston Martin After Difficult Dutch GP Weekend, Says Guenther Steiner

    Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner believes Fernando Alonso was solely responsible for Aston Martin’s points finish at the Dutch Grand Prix.

    Aston Martin arrived at Zandvoort with a highly anticipated power-unit upgrade from engine partner Honda, following the introduction of a B-spec car at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

    However, the upgrades did not immediately deliver a clear improvement. Lance Stroll and Alonso finished 17th and 18th respectively in the sprint, before qualifying 18th and 19th for the Dutch Grand Prix.

    Stroll retired after suffering damage during a chaotic opening lap in which Max Verstappen crashed. Alonso, meanwhile, used an aggressive one-stop strategy to finish ninth and secure two valuable points for Aston Martin, tripling the team’s season tally.

    Steiner credits Alonso for Aston Martin points

    Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner suggested that the result owed more to the two-time world champion’s performance than to Aston Martin’s upgraded car.

    “After what I saw on Friday and Saturday in sprint qualifying and the sprint, I was like, ‘Wow, I think we overreacted a little bit to their resurgence.’ And then also the qualifying on Saturday for the race, like, ‘Wow, this is not going the right way,’” Steiner explained.

    “This was a Fernando special here, doing it with one stop. That saved them. He could keep a decent pace, and what helps them at the moment is that there are really now three backmarker teams, which are far off everyone.”

    Aston Martin is currently 10th in the constructors’ championship with three points, all scored by Alonso. The Spaniard sits 19th in the drivers’ standings.

    Alonso says Aston Martin and Honda need more time

    Alonso praised Aston Martin’s upgrades after the race but acknowledged that the team and Honda still need time to fine-tune the changes.

    “In general, we’re still not in the place we want to be in terms of driveability. The downshifts and engine braking seem a little bit random, corner by corner,” the Spaniard told Sky Sports F1. “So we still need to fine-tune it and, with the deficit on power, we still lose a lot on the straights. So now that we are more or less competitive in the corners, we need to improve that. But we are trying to do all this together. “We need to give time to Honda as well to figure out what the problem is and where to fix it. So I’m happy, I’m relaxed. I trust both Silverstone and Sakura.”

    Source: www.motorsport.com

  • From Race Tracks to House Tracks: Why Aston Martin Partnered With Defected Records for an F1 and House Music Campaign

    From Race Tracks to House Tracks: Why Aston Martin Partnered With Defected Records for an F1 and House Music Campaign

    Aston Martin has partnered with British record label and house music specialist Defected Records, bringing together two global fan communities at a time when interest in both Formula 1 and house music continues to grow.

    House music originated in Chicago in the early 1980s and has since become a mainstream genre, with its tracks regularly appearing on charts around the world. It already has a strong connection with Formula 1, frequently appearing in drivers’ social media posts—including those of Oscar Piastri.

    Aston Martin and Defected bring F1 and house music together

    The Aston Martin Formula 1 team has expanded that connection through its partnership with Defected Records, hosting a ‘Driven By Sound’ pop-up in central London for its I/AM members. While the collaboration may initially seem unexpected, the relationship between the two brands is rooted in their shared focus on culture, community and global reach.

    “We want to associate ourselves with iconic properties and Defected absolutely ticks that box,” Rob Bloom, Aston Martin’s Chief Marketing Officer explained.

    “Defected is the belief that house music exists on and off the dance floor, and that community culture is so much more than just the music. We are absolutely in that mindset as the Aston Martin Formula 1 Team, and we want to engage fans and welcome them into our world, whether you go to a Grand Prix or not.

    “The Aston Martin brand is 100 years old, but it’s always been a cultural phenomenon. It existed way beyond its core product, we are very comfortable – in culture – punching outside of category, and that’s the space we play, in which we are so much more than just a car company or motorsports team.”

    Music has long been associated with Formula 1, from Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’ to the album created for F1 The Movie. With numerous musical genres available, Aston Martin says house music was a natural choice for the partnership.

    “There’s a natural alignment,” Bloom continues. “If you look at house music and F1, we both bring scale and intimacy. Two global properties, in house music and Formula 1, and there are 825 million F1 fans out there in the world: it’s truly global.

    “But, when you bring fans together at little moments like this, that’s where you get the intimacy. You can have huge global platforms that still have very intimate personal relationships and experiences as part of it.”

    Inside Aston Martin’s Driven By Sound pop-up

    The Soho pop-up gives Aston Martin I/AM members the opportunity to experience the team more closely. Activations include complimentary coffee alongside DJ sets from Sam Divine and RUZE, as well as a run club hosted on Sunday.

    Visitors can also view Fernando Alonso’s race suit and helmet. A sound wall allows guests to hear a combination of team radio, the Honda power unit and radio communications from Aston Martin’s F1 ACADEMY driver Mari Boya.

    “Dance music has evolved a lot since I’ve been doing this,” said Simon Marlin, a house producer from The Shapeshifters. “There’s nothing more unique than finding friends on the dance floor.

    “Defected Croatia is a great example of people that had never met each other 10 years ago, and now are the best of friends, crying with each other because the festival finished this year.

    “That can only happen through shared experiences that are delivered in a way that makes you feel special, that makes you go beyond what you expected. They’re the moments that bring people together, and house music is the biggest and best platform to do that. It’s such a feel-good factor.”

    The relationship between house music and Formula 1 has also developed through collaborations with leading DJs on F1 Tracks, the official Formula 1 playlist. Major artists such as Diplo have performed at events including this year’s Singapore Grand Prix, further highlighting the crossover between motorsport and music.

    That connection could even inspire more drivers to pursue DJing after retiring from Formula 1, following the example of Fernando Alonso’s compatriot Jaime Alguersuari, who now performs under the stage name Squire.