RED BULL PUTS ASTON ON TRACK

In 2020, Aston Martin will launch its own mid-engined supercar to rival the likes of the Ferrari 488 GTB. To do so, Aston boss Andy Palmer needs to build credibility as a maker of such cars.

That’s why Aston has turned to Red Bull’s designer extraordinaire Adrian Newey to develop the limitedrun Valkyrie hypercar and begin the process leading to the world seeing a mid-engined Aston as an entirely normal thing. Aston and Red Bull are now “technical partners”, the Aston logo appearing on the chest of Max Verstappen’s and team mate Daniel Ricciardo’s overalls and on the cars.

Palmer doesn’t want sponsorship to be limited to stickers, though, so to that end Verstappen and Ricciardo are both involved in the Valkyrie’s development. Palmer wants to extend Aston’s work with Newey to the 2020 car after Valkyrie, too.

Palmer says Aston has no desire to run its own F1 team and would rather leave the racing part to Red Bull. “We want to be in the conversation and seen as competitive. The key rival is Ferrari. Last year we beat them; this year they’re ahead of us.”