Aston Martin confirm crucial Imola upgrade package

This does not automatically negate the investment and potential at the Silverstone factory – which could bear fruit in 2026.

In any case, Aston’s progress on the upcoming regulations, does not make their decline any easier to accept.

Moreover, the next upgrades for the AMR25 are not separate from what Aston Martin are developing for 2026.

After many years of constructions, the new wind tunnel and simulator at Silverstone is now online.

This means, for the first time, the team will fit components designed in their new facilities used on track.

Calibrating a new wind tunnel and ensuring accurate correlation is important for any team.

In the Aston Martin context, it is even more essential their next package performs as expected – if they are to have any confidence about their 2026 development.

Unlike previous failed packages, this weekend’s improvements will have far-reaching implications.

Cowell dissects Aston’s Imola package

Andy Cowell is no stranger to success, having spent years overseeing engine development at Mercedes during their best years.

The British engineer understands what is necessary to succeed at the highest level in Formula 1.

It was Cowell who, after becoming CEO last September, decided his services were also required in the team principal role.

He has insisted on numerous occasions that Aston Martin are not abandoning this year’s car.

As the Imola GP approaches, now is the opportunity to validate these claims:

“We’re bringing a new floor and top bodywork,” Cowell explains.

“With the current aerodynamic regulations, the floor is the biggest contributor to downforce.

“And the top bodywork helps with the delivery of good quality airflow to the key areas of the floor. So the two work hand in hand.

“What we’re expecting from the package is an improvement in aerodynamic load, and an improvement in the consistency of that load on the car.

“We will run one car with the new spec and the other car with the existing spec at the start of the event and make a cross-car evaluation.

“It’s beneficial to run two cars with different specs so we get a direct comparison with identical track conditions.

“I’m interested to see what the driver feedback is and what the engineering feedback is.

“This is will all feed into the correlation between what we see on track, what we’ve measured in our wind tunnel, and what we see in the world of CFD.”