Aston Martin "could be interested" in a future Formula 1 engine program, depending on the outcome of the '21 rules discussions, according to Adam Cooper of AUTOSPORT. Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer "attended a recent meeting of the FIA's engine working group." He said that his firm "could only justify an F1 involvement if a lid was kept on costs." Aston is currently a sponsor of Red Bull Racing, and is working with Red Bull Racing Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey on the Valkyrie road car project -- which uses a Cosworth-developed engine. Palmer: "We sit on the periphery of F1, with the Valkyrie, and with Red Bull. There's always that question, would you want to enter as a team? Our major competitor is Ferrari, so in that sense there's a rationale in being involved in some way. But for a company that's only just moved to making a profit we don't have the 350-400 million a year that you have to spend on F1." Palmer said that the engine group's talks are "definitely going in the right way" but there is no "clear consensus." He said, "Clearly everybody accepts that you need more theater in F1, you need more noise, you don't want to restrict too much of the performance, but you have to bring the costs of entry down" (AUTOSPORT, 7/25).
