Engine Maker Cosworth Wants To Partner With Aston Martin On F1 Program

One of the most successful engine manufacturers in Formula One’s history is eyeing a return to the sport.

Cosworth’s head of powertrains, Bruce Wood, revealed Thursday that the Northhampton, England-based company is keen to return to F1 via a technical partnership with Aston Martin, according to Motorsport.com.

Aston Martin entered F1 in 2016 by joining forces with Red Bull Racing — which is aiding in the development of the Valkyrie hypercar — and it strengthened those ties ahead of 2018, signing on as Red Bull’s title sponsor. The British automaker has said its interested in becoming a power unit supplier, and has been approached by various manufacturers, reportedly including Cosworth.

“We would like to work with that partnership,” Wood told Motorsport.com. “We’ve done a lot of work with Aston for many years, we’re working very closely with Red Bull and the team for the Valkyrie, so there’s a certain logic to it.”

Although the Valkyrie will be powered by a Cosworth V-12, as Wood noted, the firm’s relationship with the energy drink brand’s F1 operation actually is as old as the team itself. When Red Bull entered F1 in 2005, it did so with Cosworth engines.

A potential tie in between Aston, Cosworth and Red Bull admittedly would fit perfectly into Liberty Media’s vision for the sport. The new owners hope the 2021 technical regulations will make it possible for independent engine manufacturers to compete with the likes of Mercedes-AMG and Ferrari, whose development budgets are massive.

“As companies, we’ve all grown up competing with one another in many respects, but I think we all recognize it’s probably in everyone’s interests and probably no single individual is going to be able to do it on their own,” Wood said.

Despite Cosworth’s level of interest, it claims it would be able to develop a power unit for 2022 at the earliest, due to the staffing and machining required for such an undertaking.

Cosworthm which last supplied engines in 2012, has a total of 176 wins in F1, second only to Ferrari.