Aston Martin F1 opens its production secrets to us

With cutting-edge facilities and tighter strategies, Aston Martin F1’s production team works relentlessly to drive success under new pressures.

When people talk about Formula 1 innovation, they often mention aerodynamics or engine power. But behind every successful team, there is a hidden powerhouse: production. At Aston Martin F1, this department has become one of the team’s greatest strengths.

Today, Aston Martin boasts one of the most advanced facilities in the sport. Thanks to Lawrence Stroll’s investment, the team has evolved from the struggling Racing Point days into a cutting-edge operation with a new simulator, a high-tech wind tunnel and a state-of-the-art campus.

Of course, high-end tools need to be matched with results on the track. With Adrian Newey now part of the project, Aston Martin looks fully armed to take the next step, at least on paper.

Ben Fitzgerald, Director of Operations, oversees the production of every single piece that goes into the Aston Martin F1 cars. His daily mission is clear: deliver the thousands of parts needed to build and run a competitive Formula 1 machine, on time and without compromise.

So how has the new campus improved production during the crucial winter period? And why is this department, often overlooked, so vital for performance gains on the track?

“Car build season is always intense for any F1 team. It is when months of design work and cross-department collaboration finally come together,” Fitzgerald explains.

“Our CEO Andy Cowell challenged us to speed up engineering and manufacturing processes. The goal was simple. Give the aero team more time to refine their designs, which started coming through as early as last October.”

“We managed to create around 85 extra weeks of engineering and manufacturing capacity compared to previous years. It was a major step forward.”

“For the first time, we delivered two complete cars for winter testing. No mechanical failures in Bahrain. That speaks volumes about our preparation and build quality. We also delivered a third chassis in time for the Australian Grand Prix.”

Fitzgerald proudly points out that 75 percent of all parts were produced in-house this winter, up 7 percent from last season. At the peak, Aston Martin was manufacturing over 3,600 parts per week.

While winter is intense, the start of the season brings its own pressure.

“This time of year, the main focus is producing enough parts for testing and early races. For Australia and China, the challenge was to supply all the different vehicle options.”

“We aim to have at least four versions of most key components ready for the first race. By China, we had five front wings available and we will have six by Japan.”

New parts are always being developed so the team must balance between producing enough of the current specification while preparing for upcoming upgrades.

“When the FIA issues a technical directive, like the one for front wing flexibility coming into effect for the Spanish Grand Prix, we need to quickly produce compliant designs and phase out the old ones.”

“It is a constant balancing act between quantity, cost and development.”

The budget cap introduced even more complexity into production strategy.

“Once we meet the minimum quantity targets, we have to think carefully about every extra part we produce. If set-up strategies evolve after we have built six sets of suspension, we must minimize waste to protect development resources under the cost cap.”

This year, the challenge is even greater with AMR25 developments ongoing while preparations ramp up for the AMR26.

“Right now, aero is working on 2025 and 2026 projects. Engineering is still focused on early season upgrades for AMR25.”

“The real shift to 2026 will happen when the first aero concepts move into production. We are probably eight to ten weeks away from that point.”

“On the production side, we have already started manufacturing conceptual chassis for 2026. The carbon rear shell mold is being machined and lamination will start in about five weeks. Gearbox casings are well advanced and the gearbox test bench is running on campus.”

The launch of Aston Martin’s own wind tunnel has been another massive leap.

“Having our own wind tunnel is a game changer,” Fitzgerald confirms.

“Before, we used Mercedes’ facility which meant tight scheduling from Friday to Sunday and adjusting during the week. Now we manage our own schedule entirely, planned by Eric Blandin and the aero team.”

“For the first time in twenty years, our entire aero operation is on a single site. Model makers, aerodynamicists, additive manufacturing and wind tunnel technicians are all under the same roof. Collaboration has already improved and will only get better.”

Optimizing the wind tunnel will take some time, but the early results are extremely positive.

“In fact, we have tripled our production output while improving part quality and cutting costs by 33 percent. With more parts produced internally, operational value will keep rising.”

On Grand Prix weekends, the production team remains just as busy.

“Before every race, our priorities are clear. Deliver all necessary parts for track performance and react to any issues from the previous race.”

“I closely monitor what the operations team needs to ship: IT resilience, spare parts quantities, quality controls.”

“Accidents are part of racing. After incidents like Fernando’s unfortunate crash in Australia, we must quickly manufacture replacements while staying within budget and pushing forward with car development.”

“It is a constant balancing act but one we are now highly skilled at managing. Our cars are always ready when the lights go out.”

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Aston Martin F1 opens its production secrets to us Aston Martin F1 opens its production secrets to us