Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has shared that the Silverstone-based team remain “quite happy” as a Mercedes customer side, with the British outfit having started the 2023 F1 season better than the Germans.
Mercedes have supplied power units to the British side for several years, even when they were known as Force India and Racing Point.
Aston Martin’s ties with Mercedes are particularly close, with them using the same power unit, rear suspension and gearbox as the Silver Arrows.
The former midfield team have been one of the biggest talking points of the start of this season, with Fernando Alonso having claimed three podiums in a row.
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They’ve consistently been Red Bull’s closest challenger and are currently second in the Constructors’ Championship, ahead of Mercedes.
Aston Martin’s sudden rise has been sensational; albeit, with remarks from Red Bull who’ve previously accused the side of copying their design.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has also made it perfectly clear how many parts the Germans supply to Aston Martin, perhaps in a bid to take some credit for their sensational start to 2023.
Concerningly for Red Bull and perhaps for Mercedes, Aston Martin look set to just get even stronger, with the side having considerably more time in the wind tunnel.
As a result, they will be able to test upgrades more thoroughly, meaning they’ll likely have a greater impact once introduced.
But do Aston Martin want to remain as a customer team even as a frontrunner?
This has been discussed following the Australian Grand Prix, with some having pondered whether the British team could make more of their own parts.
As it stands, though, Aston Martin have no intention of changing their current set-up with Mercedes, who’s “service is excellent”, according to Krack.
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“It’s something that we need to see over the next few years, the parts we are buying – at the moment, we are buying quite a lot.
“And [we need to look at] how we can structure ourselves to do that.
“We are quite happy with what we have at this point. The service is excellent with what we’re getting, so everything is fine, and we’re not too worried.”