Aston Martin is building a strong team heading into the new era of Formula 1 cars. Major new regulations are coming in for the 2026 season and Aston Martin wants to pounce on the uncertainty.
Having already added design legend Adrian Newey, the team have managed to prise Enrico Cardile away from Ferrari. However, Ferrari are blocking Cardile from joining the Silverstone-based team until the summer, angering Aston Martin’s top bosses.
Ferrari blocking Enrico Cardile from joining Aston Martin
Ferrari is blocking Enrico Cardile from linking up with his new team Aston Martin until he has completed his gardening leave. F1 team members go on gardening leave when joining another team. This is so when they join a competitor, they can’t leak sensitive information about the current or upcoming car.
Following his departure from Ferrari, Enrico Cardile will join Aston Martin as F1 Chief Technical Officer 👇#F1https://t.co/Glm4sceYhV
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 9, 2024
Reports in Italy claim Ferrari won’t let Cardile start his new role until July 17. This means the Italian won’t be able to start working in Silverstone until his full 12 months of the gardening leave are completed. It was reported mediation for an earlier departure had been reached between the parties, but it looks to have been broken.
This has reportedly angered Lawrence Stroll. With the later arrival date, Cardile will have less influence on the 2026 car. This is a big blow for the green cars as the 2026 season is a huge chance for Aston Martin to attack the championship. Cardile was due to link up with Adrian Newey to design the 2026 car. Now, the partnership will have to wait.
Does Aston Martin have a bright future?
Aston Martin has recruited well over the last year. They have brought in the design legend Adrian Newey who helped Williams and Red Bull create periods of domination. Enrico Cardile has made a name for himself for developing Ferrari’s recent challengers.
Andy Cowell, who played a key part in developing the Mercedes hybrid engine during the domination years, joined as the new CEO. This is quite the team to move Aston Martin forward.
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Aston Martin has also invested heavily in new infrastructure, including a “state-of-the-art” factory and a new wind tunnel. The cost is reported to be around £200 million at its Silverstone headquarters. Lawrence Stroll has spent heavily and hopes this will lead to success on the track.
Honda will swap powering Red Bull to supplying power units for Aston Martin from the 2026 season. Honda has had great success after partnering with Red Bull, helping the Austrian team dominate the constructors’ championship in 2022 and 2023. They also powered Max Verstappen to championships in 2021 and 2024. This level of success will now be moved to Aston Martin, who will hope Honda can keep the pace with other suppliers.
The future does look bright for the Silverstone-based outfit. The team they have assembled with the new infrastructure should pay dividends for the green cars. Once they have the perfect driver lineup, they could be the next big thing in Formula 1.
