Aston Martin‘s poor start to the season could turn out to be a major benefit for the Silverstone team. Although the British team has managed to improve the AMR25, this has not been reflected in the drivers’ standings, with only two points scored by Fernando Alonso in the Spanish Grand Prix. Nico Hülkenberg’s surprising fifth place in Barcelona has relegated the British team to ninth place in the Constructors’ Championship, and although it may seem counterintuitive, this could be good for the team’s interests.
The FIA and rewards for teams
As in other sports, in F1 there are top teams, teams fighting in the middle of the pack, and teams occupying the last positions. The FIA, in an attempt to equalize the performance of the cars, grants certain privileges to the lowest-ranked teams so that they can have more resources to reduce the gap with the teams above them. As is the case, for example, with the NBA draft, where the lowest-ranked teams have a better chance of selecting the best rookie players for the following season, in F1 the lowest-ranked teams have more hours in the wind tunnel to fine-tune their cars and thus reduce the gap. Therefore, the worse your ranking, the more hours you have to test your cars, and those in the last two places are the ones who have the most time to use this valuable tool.
The Aston Martin dilemma
Nico Hülkenberg was one of the big surprises of the Spanish Grand Prix. The experienced German driver managed to finish fifth thanks to a great strategy and a surprising pace at the wheel of the Kick Sauber C45, a result that earned him 10 points in one fell swoop, tying the British team’s 16 points but putting him ahead in the constructors’ standings.
This is where the Aston Martin dilemma comes in: the deadline for allocating wind tunnel hours is June 30, and before that date, there are two Grand Prix races, in Canada and Belgium. The British team has stepped up and believes it can improve the car’s performance with the latest updates, meaning they could fight for points, especially Fernando Alonso. But those points, given how close the field is at the bottom of the standings, could improve their position in the constructors’ championship, which would prevent them from getting more wind tunnel hours. Given that this is a transition season with the focus on 2026, those wind tunnel hours could end up being crucial in exploiting the improvements for next year.
New improvements for Aston Martin
It is also striking that Aston Martin has updates planned for the coming weeks. If confirmed, Adrian Newey already commented in an interview that new developments would arrive, most likely for the F1 Silverstone Grand Prix, which takes place on July 6, just after the deadline. It is surprising and curious, to say the least, that this is the date chosen by the team to update the car.
Aston Martin will now have to decide whether to fight for points in the upcoming races or sacrifice their position in the constructors’ standings to gain an advantage for next year, which could ultimately prove decisive. Wind tunnel hours are crucial for teams in today’s F1, and having that slight advantage could be an important step forward for the future.