Aston Martin F1

Interesting take on the new Aston structure that includes Newey from Joe Saward. Oh and the drive issue is assessed as well lol. Tooooo many Chefs in that kitchen at Aston I think.

https://joesaward.wordpress.com/2024/09/18/green-notebook-from-bulbul-avenue/

The big news in the days before Baku was that Adrian Newey has finally decided to join Aston Martin, lured there by a pot of gold of epic proportions and two and a half percent of the team’s shareholding. Good luck to him. It is not yet clear how Newey’s role of Managing Technical Partner will dovetail with all the other technical bigwigs that the team has been collecting in recent years. It is fairly clear that the current technical director Dan Fallows, who worked as an aerodynamicist under Newey at Red Bull for many years, is not going to be around for ever. But there are also questions about what the recently-appointed chief technical officer Enrico Cardile will do when he joins the team from Ferrari in 2025. There is also former Mercedes engine boss Andy Cowell, who is joining as group chief executive officer on October 1. Cowell is supposed to be reporting directly to Stroll, but the arrival of Newey may mean that he will be asked to report to Newey instead, given that a managing partner should have more clout than a mere CEO. And let us not forget Bob Bell, who enjoys the title Executive Director – Technical.

Besides the pushing and shoving that this may cause, the biggest problem will probably come down to philosophy because there will eventually come a day when Newey will ask the question: Do we have the best possible driver line-up? No-one who isn’t Spanish believes that a 43-year-old driver is as quick as a 21-year-old rising star, even if the older driver is still an impressive racer. And will no-one ever say that there might be an option better than the boss’s son? There’s an elephant in the room at the new Aston Martin factory which no-one seems able to see…

 

Alonso is still showing he can be a top 3 driver, so what 21 year old is automatically better than him simply because of age?

There is a circus in the room and everyone in the world see's it when it comes to the Stroll situation.

 

Fernando Alonso is contracted to the end of 2026, and has indicated no interest to go beyond that.
So his replacement isn't urgent yet.
If Lance was a problem for Newey, he would already have approached the subject with his father

 

Newey would be smart enough not to mention a replacement for Lance.........

 

I don't think he would have much to loose for speaking his mind.
Stroll Sr needs Newey more than the other way around.
But Newey is not at Aston yet; things may change when he joins.

 

^^^ After his 1-yr sabbatical (a couple yrs ago) there were a few here saying Alonso was too old, would have diminished skills, etc etc. Yet they gave him a good car and, poof, he was securing podiums regularly. Give him an even better car, a dominant car, and he still has it to be on the top step. If Ferrari doesn't produce that car in 2026 I hope AM does and Alonso is standing tall.

 

It is extremely rare that a driver can leave F1 for even just 2 years (Alonso missed 2019 and 2020), come back and still be as good. Schumacher technically took 4 years off, but had a bunch of tests between 2007 and 2009 and he was not the same. I would admit, I didn't think Alonso would be the same driver we saw between 2010-2015, but alas he was on pace right away.

After just a few years retired, Nico Rosberg openly admits he would be several seconds off the pace if he was to jump back in. We really need to appreciate the time we have left with Alonso in F1. He is truly one of the greats.

 

Niki Lauda and Alain Prost came back after a sabatical and won a WDC !

 

Very true. Both of them are among the all time greats as well. Though Prost was very fortunate to come back to one of the most dominant cars in history and only had to beat a young Damon Hill. Nevertheless, Prost still showed he was a top driver at the time.

 

Lawrence fiddles while Rome burns:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/aston-martin-shares-shaken-after-profit-warning/ar-AA1rsXJx

 

What the car business is a train wreck still?? But but he's a sweatshop 'billionaire' with ALL the answers LOL.

Oh no will Lance have an inheritance??

Luxury carmaker Aston Martin's share price sank more than 20% after it said profits will be lower than expected this year.

 

Not one carmaker is doing good at the moment; look at Volkswagen and Audi about to close some factories.

Aston Martin Lagonda has been in financial turmoil for most of its existence, but always found investors ready to rescue it.

I think the consortium led by Lawrence Stroll is its 14th owner !!!

 

The true large makers will weather this minor storm = more equalizing of the market post covid over priced/lack of production etc.
Aston being a 'boutique' maker will be sold/bought or closed at some point. They make no notable cars and they are competing in a saturated market.
Im worried about Lotus as well. Geely has them completely off their historical standard with the Eletre' and others. The Emira launch is still a joke. Those are sitting here in Germany at many dealers. I like the car and just passed on one with a major discount. Last year that was not the case for the Emira. I know an owner in Stuttgart who could not sell his. A dealer in Berlin bought it. Still sitting there for the price the owner had it advertised for.

 

Incredible! Thank you Ian Fleming(and Albert Broccoli).

Spot-on.

 

A favorite film of mine. I was a bit more interested in Jennifer Garner than the car and suit.

 

They were both aces in their day. I think Alonso is very much of the same caliber.

 

The big manufacturers are more at risk from an economic downturn than the niche market; there is a long list of casualties and brands that have already vanished, others are in intensive care. They have to deal with loss of sales, defecting shareholders, a striking workforce, etc ...
The "boutique makers" (as you call them) can stop producing for a while (Aston did that for one year), shrink, sell, merge, etc ...
If they are good enough (Ferrari, Aston, Lambo, Maserati, Rimac, Bugatti, etc ...) they will always find investors to move them forward, like Rolex, Chanel, Cartier, Dupont, and so on.

I see Lotus vanishing before long. Geeley completely misread the DNA of that brand. Surprising seeing how they have done well with Volvo. It is said there is no market for sportscars in China, therefore Geely was bound to take Lotus in another direction to make it a luxury brand. I can't see that succeeding.

 

Interesting analysis.
I would just add to this that there isn’t a market for electric supercars.
Rich people wants ICE engines, they don’t care about electrified cars ..

 

All those named above are part of major Corporate concerns now. None are independent.

Aston is not one of them. With no Stroll who was in line in the UK to save it. Stroll might connect it with a larger concern but even Mercedes is not at all interested in owning Aston completely. They are so small compared to Ferrari and others. Possibly the Saudi's would take them but they more were recently interested in the F1 team and not the car production entity.

 

We will see if the authorities allow limited production of ICE supercars with reduced carbon emission.
The EU discussed exemptions for manufacturers producing less than 1000 cars per year, and using synthetic fuel.
Very few would qualify, as it stands : Pagani, Bugatti, perhaps ?

 

In other words it was a drug test

 

Aston Martin's Production Targets Slashed, Short Sellers Pounce
By City A.M - Oct 10, 2024, 2:00 PM CDT

• Aston Martin issued a profit warning and announced production cuts due to supply chain disruptions and a slowdown in the Chinese economy.
• Hedge funds, including Marshall Wace, have taken short positions on Aston Martin's stock, indicating a bearish outlook.
• Shares in Aston Martin have fallen significantly, reflecting a decline in investor confidence in the company's future prospects.

 

How Aston Martin went from podium to slowest in only a year

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/aston-martin-podium-to-slowest-in-only-a-year-explained/