Aston Martin chief Andy Cowell has claimed the team’s new Formula 1 wind tunnel has “opened our eyes” when it comes to aerodynamic development.
The wind tunnel at the revamped Silverstone base, Aston Martin has called home since its founding days under the guise of Jordan Grand Prix, is the class-leading aerodynamic tool in F1.
This is just one of several elements Lawrence Stroll has financed to transform Aston Martin into a championship-calibre team and Cowell revealed to the media, including Motorsport Week, that the wind tunnel came online from the season-opening Australian Grand Prix weekend.
As it stands, Aston is splitting aero testing in the new wind tunnel between the beleaguered AMR25 and the 2026 machine being developed under the expert eye of Adrian Newey.
“There’s hardware coming through that we’ll see at the circuit in the coming races,” Cowell relayed in Jeddah, teasing upgrades to come as a result of testing in the team’s new wind tunnel.
The Aston Martin CEO and Team Principal went on to explain how the team is coping with transitioning from the Mercedes wind tunnel in Brackley to its new facility, and the benefits already being yielded as a result.
“People often talk about how to tell the time when you’ve got two watches – how do you tell the aero load when development work has been done in one wind tunnel and then you swap across to the next? They’ll never tell you exactly the same,” Cowell added.
“But we are enjoying the new wind tunnel. It’s opened our eyes to a few characteristics.”
The task Aston Martin must succeed in with new wind tunnel
Now the task for Aston Martin is to utilise its wind tunnel to generate better results on track, something that has proved hard to come by over the last 18 months.
“You’ve got to do the work,” Cowell said.
“If you’ve got a new test facility that gives you a clearer view, a more representative view, you’ve got to then do aero development work – you’ve go to change shapes, make parts, understand, and then make full-size components to bring to the circuit and measure in this complex environment.
“We’re in that process, enjoying the new tool, and look forward to making a faster race car with it.”
As it stands, Aston Martin has scored 10 points across the first five races, with veteran driver Fernando Alonso fearing more will be hard to come by as the year progresses.
Cowell admits the team is “not happy with the performance of the car” and “there are many areas where, if we could go back to the start of the year with the same car, we could do better at every event.
“That gives us hope,” Cowell exclaimed.
“There are relatively easy things we can do to move forward, but some exceptionally complicated things we’ve got to master as well.”
But Aston Martin’s mission isn’t to succeed in 2025, but to put everything in place to be a strong contender amid the regulations revamp for the next year.
That journey began in 2021 when Racing Point went from bright pink to the British Racing Green of an iconic marque, and will continue next year under the leadership of Cowell and Newey, with the benefit of the wind tunnel, a Honda works engine deal and potent fuel partnership with Aramco.
On that note, Cowell said: “We’re a relatively young team trying to dial in new tools and trying to understand it and not just trying to survive but to really succeed.”
READ MORE – Aston Martin reveals Adrian Newey’s extreme focus on F1 2026
