Jan.20 (GMM) Aston Martin will now not provide System 1’s security and medical vehicles from 2026, ending a five-year association at a second when the group itself is ramping up ambitions beneath the brand new laws.
From this season, Mercedes will as soon as once more be the only supplier of each autos, bringing an finish to the shared setup that has been in place since 2021. The change returns System 1 to a well-recognized look, with the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Collection persevering with as the protection automotive and the GT 63 S fulfilling medical duties.
Aston Martin, headed by proprietor Lawrence Stroll, joined Mercedes as co-supplier in 2021, however early variations of the Aston Martin Vantage had been shortly criticised by drivers for missing tempo in contrast with the Mercedes equal.
On the time, the Vantage was round 45 kilograms heavier and down roughly 200 horsepower, a niche that pissed off the sector every time it was deployed. Max Verstappen famously labelled it a ‘inexperienced turtle’ after the 2022 Australian GP.
Aston Martin responded with successive upgrades. Energy climbed to 656 hp for 2024 following modifications to turbochargers, cooling and camshafts, earlier than the Vantage S arrived throughout the 2025 season with round 670 hp and revised aerodynamics. Regardless of these enhancements, the producer has opted to not proceed within the function.
No official cause has been given, although financial issues are understood to have influenced the choice. One low level throughout Aston Martin’s tenure got here at Monza in 2024, when long-time security automotive driver Bernd Maylander crashed the Vantage on the Parabolica as a consequence of a technical failure – the primary such incident of his profession.
From 2026, Maylander will once more drive solely for Mercedes, which has served as System 1’s security automotive associate since 1996. The Stuttgart model marked its five hundredth grand prix within the function throughout the 2025 US Grand Prix weekend.
The timing is notable. Aston Martin’s withdrawal comes simply because the Silverstone-based group enters what many view as a defining section – the primary Adrian Newey-designed automotive, the beginning of a full works partnership with Honda, and a wholesale reset beneath the 2026 technical guidelines.
With sources stretched and expectations excessive, the choice to step away from non-core commitments matches a wider sample throughout the grid.
