Lawrence Stroll, the owner of the Aston Martin team, said that conversations have taken place with the forthcoming Audi brand, which will join Formula One in 2026.
The Volkswagen Group had long been involved in discussions about new Formula 1 engines for 2026, with their Porsche and Audi brands being the two that Volkswagen was hoping to enter.
Both Porsche and Audi have announced their intentions to compete in Formula One starting in 2026. Porsche is largely likely to team up with Red Bull, but Audi’s ambitions are still a mystery.
Audi was previously linked to a McLaren takeover, though both parties disputed such allegations, with more recent rumours suggesting Audi is interested in Aston Martin and Sauber.
Audi, like Porsche, intends to enter Formula One as an engine supplier rather than a works team. As a result, new speculation arises about which team, or teams, Audi intends to collaborate with.
While Stroll did not reveal much, he did disclose that there have been talks between Aston Martin and Audi. According to Autosprint, he revealed there were talks during a conference call with investors.
“Have we been approached by Audi? Yes,” Stroll said.
The team has been powered by Mercedes since its transformation into Aston Martin ahead of the 2021 season. However, while the Mercedes engine was once regarded as the best in the V6 turbo-hybrid era, the picture is now significantly less clear.
Following a substantial revision of the chassis regulations in 2022, Aston Martin and Williams are the early strugglers, while the power units were also overhauled with the introduction of a new E10 fuel.
Williams leads the standings with a single point, while Aston Martin is in ninth place with five points after making their debut at Imola in Round 4 of the season.
Despite the knowledge that Audi will enter the market and has made contact with Aston Martin, Stroll is content with their current Mercedes partnership.
“Are we very happy with our collaboration with Mercedes? yes,” he said. “The world of Formula 1 is full of these stories.”
Lawrence Stroll, whose son Lance is an F1 driver, also stated that Tobias Moers, the CEO of Aston Martin, has been replaced with Amedeo Felisa, a former Ferrari CEO.
According to Sport1, Stroll may have had a falling out with Moers, which led to his departure as CEO of the British luxury carmaker.