By Adam Tate, Managing Editor
Coming off of its most successful year in Formula One to date, Force India, the little team that could is set to make a name change and become Aston Martin Racing from 2016 onward.
Their Mercedes engine contract and strong finish of fifth in the Constructor’s championship has caught the eye of Aston Martin who is keen to be back racing in the public eye and is conveniently set to begin using Mercedes engine’s in its road cars in the near future. It will be the historic marques second entry into Formula One, the first was a brief two year effort during the 1959 and 1960 seasons.
The deal which is in its final stages is set to be announced soon and will effectively make Aston Martin the Mercedes B team, much in the way Ferrari is grooming Haas F1.
The name change will be just the latest in a string of such for the Silverstone based team that debuted in 1991 as Jordan, became Midland in 2006, Spyker in 2007 and then finally found a strong identity as Force India in 2008 when Vijay Mallya bought the team.
Force India COO, Otmar Szafnauer thinks the deal would only push the team further up the grid in the future and bring more attention and sponsors on board. “With Aston we’ll have a different look and attract some other types of sponsors and maybe get some more money in. If we can do that, it will help us make that next step and continue the form that we’ve showed in the final part of this year.”
