Why Is Aston Martin Selling Its F1 Team?

Many teams come and go in Formula 1 — it's an insanely expensive sport to roll the dice with. If you're not successful on race day, or you can't get hold of enough sponsors, then keeping a team afloat can sometimes prove to be an impossible task. One team who has been there and done it though is Aston Martin.

The British automaker first entered F1 during the 1950s, when the sport was still in its infancy, but were caught out by slow development amid a changing dynamic on the field. While other teams, chiefly Cooper, were adopting mid-engine racers, Aston Martin had developed a front-engine racer. Throughout the 1959 season with the DBR4, and 1960 season with the lighter DBR5, it was apparent that Aston Martin could not compete with much of the pack, and so the brand retired from F1 and instead continued to focus on sports car racing.

Fast-forward just over 60 years, though, and Aston Martin would once again return to F1. Initially, the team would use Mercedes-Benz power units, but Aston Martin is changing its engine supplier for the 2026 season, choosing instead to partner with Honda for its F1 engines in 2026. With exciting developments like this on the horizon, and a dynamic duo of proven drivers at the ready, it may seem a strange time for Aston Martin to sell the F1 team, but that's exactly what's happening. The reason though is simple – Aston Martin as an automaker is struggling, and selling the remaining stake it has in the F1 team is a wise way to raise some much-needed funds.

It might seem strange, but, despite lending its name to the team, Aston Martin only owns 4.6% of the Aston Martin F1 team. The automaker is selling the entire stake in order to inject some cash into the auto-making sides of things. Due to American tariffs and an economic slowdown in China, the storied British brand was barely able to break even last year. This isn't the first time Aston Martin has experienced financial troubles, in fact, the brand has famously struggled time and time again throughout its history, having filed for bankruptcy no fewer than seven times before now.

The sale will bring in $146 million, based on an overall valuation given to the team of $3.2 billion. The company has recently signed a binding letter of intent, confirming the sale, although the buyer hasn't been officially named. It has been reported that Yew Tree Investments is behind the sale though, which makes sense, as it currently owns 27.6% of the team. 

Interestingly, the investments firm also hails from within the Lawrence Stroll empire, as does Aston Martin, and the F1 team. It's good news for F1 fans, though, as no, you won't need to learn a new team name. The contract is still in place for the Aston Martin F1 team to use the Aston Martin name, plus both Fernando and Stroll are confirmed as next year's line-up too. The duo have seen some success behind the wheel of Aston's F1 cars, in addition to much upset, but hopefully the acquisition of Adrian Newey will have proved fruitful for the 2026 season and beyond.