Aston Martin F1 team strikes long-term partnership with Saudi’s Aramco

Aston Martin has signed a long term partnership with Saudi Arabian state-owned energy giant Aramco, the Formula One team said on February 3, in a move it hopes will aid its ambition of winning races and championships.

Aramco, already a major Formula One sponsor whose branding appears on trackside signage, will work with Aston Martin to help the team meet Formula One’s target for cars to be powered wholly by sustainable fuels by 2025 and develop more efficient hybrid engines in motorsport.

The partnership will also involve the development and commercialisation of fuel-efficient engine technologies for road cars, advanced lubricants and the deployment of non-metallic materials in vehicles, the team said in a statement.

The team will be renamed Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team.

“We are in the sport to win…” said Aston Martin chairman and Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, in a statement.

“So I am delighted to welcome an incredible partner of the stature of Aramco … which I know will greatly assist our team to achieve our goals of winning Formula One world championships.”

Stroll bought the team out of administration in 2018 when they were known as Force India and rebranded them Aston Martin last year.

The team finished seventh in the standings in 2021 but have big ambitions for the future.

They hired four-time champion Sebastian Vettel last season to partner Stroll’s son Lance in their driver line-up.

They are also building a new factory and have hired top names from other teams.

Last month, they announced the signing of former BMW Motorsport head Mike Krack.

Former McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh was announced as the team’s group chief executive last year.

“Winning in Formula One is all about assembling and managing the right ingredients in the optimal way,” said Whitmarsh in February 3 statement.

“Aramco is an innovative company whose ultra high-tech expertise will make a very real and hugely valuable contribution to improving the performance of, and delivering the future success of, Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team.”

Aramco signed a global long-term deal with Formula One in 2020, while Saudi Arabia hosted its first grand prix around the streets of Jeddah last year.

The Aston Martin deal further boosts the country’s profile on the motorsport stage, with the Gulf kingdom already hosting the Formula E championship and the Dakar Rally.

Formula One is aiming to achieve a net zero-carbon footprint by 2030, and is moving towards 100% sustainable fuels.

The sport will use E10 fuel this year a mix of 90% fossil fuel and 10% ethanol.

Aramco chief technology officer Ahmad Al Khowaiter said, “With our combined expertise we have the potential to improve engine performance and reduce emissions, helping lower the carbon footprint of the sport and, eventually, the automotive industry.”