Aston Martin bringing another big upgrade to the Belgian Grand Prix

Aston Martin is set to bring “another big component” to its car at the Belgian Grand Prix as it finalizes its development for 2025, according to team principal Andy Cowell.

Aston Martin introduced upgrades the British Grand Prix that helped it to a double-points finish, extending its run of scoring race weekends to four in a row. Those new parts were largely focused on the floor and engine cover, following on from a number of developments since the start of the European season, and Cowell says the break in races will have provided a chance to analyze their impact before a further update at Spa-Francorchamps.

“Gathering data on the aerodynamic package was difficult to do [at Silverstone] because of the wet, changeable conditions, but we’ll get together in the factory and work out exactly what we've learnt regarding the floor and the minor top bodywork changes,” Cowell told SiriusXM.

“We've got another big component coming to Spa, and we'll work out what we're doing for the rest of the year as well. We're not putting any more significant aerodynamic resource on, but if there are things that we can spot that we can tidy up that just help refine our tools, doing that work now will help us for ’26 and beyond.”

Sauber’s improvements have caught the eye in recent races, but Aston Martin has also closed the gap to Williams and Racing Bulls in the constructors’ championship over the past four rounds, with Cowell saying the results have been boosting the atmosphere within the team.

“The mood's a lot more positive. If the car's quicker, if you're getting points, you get the feedback. It's the same amount of hard work going in regardless, but having the positive feedback of points, is always good for the mood on campus on Monday morning. So that just helps drive things forward.

“As ever, it's always many things that go to make a performance improvement. The package that was put on the car in Imola has gone well, and now there have been several races you can look at the data and compare yourself against your opponents, and that's pleasing to see.

But it is also understanding the car, understanding the nuances of the car, and how best to optimize the car around that. It's knowing the strengths and also the weaknesses of the car, but also the team trackside, the team that's supporting in the factory, are working well together, which is very pleasing to see.”