Aston Martin has 'three-year plan' to become winning team

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Racing Point team boss Otmar Szafnauer says the Silverstone-based outfit's ambition of winning in F1 under the Aston Martin banner is "probably a three-year plan".

The legendary British sportscar manufacturer, which last raced in F1 in 1960, will return to Grand Prix racing next season thanks to Racing Point owner Lawrence Stroll whose consortium has invested heavily into Aston Martin Lagonda.

Stroll aims to revive the commercial profitability of the prestigious automaker, and its partnership with Racing Point will act as a major technological and marketing component of Aston's future success.

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But the plan of elevating the pink squad into the top three will follow a gradual process.

"It’s probably a three-year plan for us," Szafnauer told the Formula 1 website.

"The factory will take a couple of years, and hiring the right people takes a couple of years, and during that transition phase, you won’t be at a 100 per cent at where you want to be until you get there, and then you have got to work together.

"So it’s a three-year plan, but every year we should be getting better, we should never take a step backwards.

"Our goal is to break into the top three in that time and be competitive at that level and have a chance at winning races and being regular podium finishers."

Szafnauer isn't focused on Aston Martin's future spot in the hierarchy but rather on building it into a team capable of winning, period.

"Even if we’re not top three, say the top three become top four and we’re part of that, or even top five and someone else joins us, but we’re all competing at that level where the top three currently are, that would be a success for us," he said.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.