Aston Martin targeting F1 move

London : Aston Martin says it will “probably” enter Formula 1 in 2021 as an engine supplier if the rules are changed in a way that makes it affordable.

F1 bosses have proposed new engine rules to reduce cost and complexity and attract new entrants, but existing manufacturers have objected.

Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer said: “It moves from probably I wouldn’t propose it to the board to probably I would.”

He said existing rules were “annoying the public and driving them from F1”.

Palmer wants to use F1 as a marketing platform as he seeks to expand Aston Martin’s range of road cars.

But he added that he and the Red Bull team were acting in concert to try to influence a change in engine rules.

Aston Martin has this year had a sponsorship arrangement with the former world champions, who are vocal opponents of the turbo hybrid engines used in F1 since 2014, and the car company will next year become the team’s title sponsor.

“The issue is making the sport entertaining again,” Palmer said in an exclusive interview with BBC Sport.

“Which means put the driver back at the centre of the sport, whereas today we are talking about a turbocharger being the centre of the sport. I’m an engineer and I love the technology, but it’s nuts.

“So at the very simplistic level we are a destructive force that I hope can be used to bring back the sport to what it was when I fell in love with it 40 years ago, which was entertainment with a concentration on the pilot and the chassis and aerodynamic surfaces and, yes, there is a little competitive advantage in the engine but it’s not all about the engine.” (BBC)