Aston Martin pushing for 'standardized gearbox' in F1 in 2026

Aston Martin is pushing for F1 to adopt a standardized gearbox from 2026 as it believes that such a component would represent "a golden opportunity" for the sport to cut costs.

Aston's future partnership with Honda that will kick off in 2026 has compelled the Silverstone-based outfit to design its own gearbox, having relied up since its Force India days on units acquired from McLaren and Mercedes.

However, the in-house design and manufacturing of a custom-made transmission comes at a heavy cost which has led Aston to promote the idea of common parts used by all teams as a means of reducing costs.

But despite the undeniable financial benefit for all teams, Aston's endeavor is facing "stiff opposition" from its rivals as engineering director Luca Furbatto explained.

"We're pushing for a standardised gearbox because it makes financial sense in a cost cap environment," the Italian explained in an interview on Aston Martin F1's website.

"But we are facing stiff opposition. Realistically it’s not going to happen any time soon. It's possible the FIA may reach something of a middle ground, with the design becoming a little more prescribed, lighter and simplified.

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"I suspect we will look back in a few years and conclude that we lost a golden opportunity to reduce costs within the transmission area.

"It is something that the fans cannot see, the technology is the same between all teams and brings very little performance.

"The money saved on transmission could be repurposed towards aero development, which is currently the only way to compress the grid and improve the show."

Aston Martin isn't holding its breath over the idea of F1 adopting a standard gearbox. It is therefore well on its way to setting up its gearbox department at Silverstone.

"The last time this team made its own gearbox was 2008 and things have moved on a bit since then!" Furbatto said.

"We are recruiting and building our competencies in this area – and we've already brought in a number of very talented designers.

"The group working on this project is still very much growing, but the work being done with a mix of internal resources and external contractors is moving forward quickly.

"2026 might seem like a long way in the future, but in engineering terms, it's really just around the corner."

Earlier this year, Aston Martin moved into its new state-of-the-art campus next to Silverstone Circuit and Furbatto played his part in laying out the new factory.

"As the regulations currently stand, teams will have to develop a car that is very aero efficient to compensate for the new power unit," he said.

"It's a challenge, but every team is in the same situation. It's up to us to do a better job than the others.

"It's a big part of everything we hope to achieve. When I joined the team the new campus didn't even exist, so I've been able to have an input into shaping our future facilities. I recall when we were looking at the layout of the R&D testing areas and various rigs.

"We spent a lot of our time looking at the building layout, the equipment specifications in great detail, and even the type of foundations. The first phase of the new campus is complete and it's an incredible place to work and there is more to come.

"I believe we'll start to see the full potential of the new campus by the beginning of 2025.

"We'll have our new gearbox dynos fully operational, and the new wind tunnel will be ready in the second half of next year. All in all, it'll be a game-changer."

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