Aston Martin will become the title sponsor of Red Bull in 2018

The relationship between Aston Martin and Red Bull began in 2016 when the two companies became partners for the development of the Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar.

But the emblems of the British brand will no longer just be displayed on the Austrian single-seaters as Aston Martin will become the title sponsor of the team starting next season. This means that next year the team will compete in the championship under the name Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.

This agreement goes much further as it includes the construction of a new advanced performance center located in the Red Bull complex in Milton Keynes. This will lead to the creation of more than 100 jobs to work on future projects as part of the technical partnership as well as on technologies applied to road cars.

The director of the Red Bull team, Christian Horner, congratulates himself on the success of the partnership so far and its future expansion: « Our innovation partnership with Aston Martin has been a groundbreaking project from day one. After designing and creating the Aston Martin Valkyrie in 2016, we expanded our relationship this year and are now delighted to strengthen the partnership and see the team entered under the name Aston Martin Red Bull Racing in 2018. »

The Briton then mentions the joint creation of the new Advanced Performance Centre: « More than 100 Aston Martin employees will service the new Advanced Performance Centre on our Milton Keynes campus, enabling us to collaborate further with Aston Martin on equally innovative new special projects. »

As the new leaders of Formula 1 consider the framework of the new engine regulations set to take effect from 2021, the possibility of Aston Martin’s involvement in this area is being seriously studied. It is unnecessary to point out that since the beginning of the hybrid era, Red Bull has been dissatisfied with its engine situation and regularly criticizes its partner Renault.

Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer believes that this sponsorship deal is just another step in the partnership between the two brands: « The title partnership is the next logical step in our innovation partnership with Red Bull Racing. We appreciate the recognition brought by the revitalized global Formula 1 brand. »

Palmer specifies that Aston Martin’s involvement depends on the new engine regulations and will only happen if the FIA ensures strict cost control to prevent further escalation: « The discussions on power units interest us, but only if the conditions are favorable. We do not want to enter a motor war without any cost or test bench hour restrictions, but we believe that if the FIA can create the right environment, we would be interested in getting involved. »