Aston Martin could be set for a return to Formula 1 as part of a deal which could see Red Bull running Mercedes engines in 2016, reports Autocar.
It’s believed advanced talks are underway between the three parties, which would see Aston Martin joining forces with the Red Bull team, whilst Mercedes would supply engines, replacing current partner Renault.
Aston Martin is 5 per cent owned by Mercedes and there is speculation the German marque could up its stake, which is one of the reasons it has already given its blessing to the deal.
Another is its desire to supply more teams to offset costs of its power unit development programme which has already cost hundreds of millions.
Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff already hinted this week that they would be open to supplying Red Bull: “We would have to look at the new situation,” he said.
Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer and its director of marketing Simon Sproule are behind the negotiations. Both are experienced with such dealings after heading up Infiniti’s deal with Red Bull when they were both employed by Nissan.
The only major hurdle standing in the way of a deal is Renault’s contract to supply Red Bull with engines in 2016. However with rumours that Renault have agreed to buy back a majority stake in Lotus, it’s likely they will release Red Bull and in return Mercedes will release Lotus from its engine contract.