Aston Martin's F1 return with Force India put on hold
Aston Martin's return to Formula 1 via a tie-up with Force India has been placed on hold

Autosport revealed at the end of October the Aston Martin name was poised to return to F1 this season after a 55-year absence.
In early December Force India's chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer stated a conclusion to the deal was "close", suggesting the team would be in a position to confirm details by the middle of the month.
Unfortunately Force India's hopes of being rebranded as Aston Martin Racing in 2016 have fallen through, with discussions now on the backburner.
Szafanuer insists a deal "is not dead", and there remain hopes for 2017, telling Autosport: "It probably won't happen for 2016, but we're still talking.
"It's flattering for a company like Aston to be talking to Force India, to want to partner with us and come into Formula 1, but the story isn't final there yet."
As to the reasoning behind Aston's decision, Szafnauer added: "They have a lot of initiatives and they're changing their line-up of cars.
"They're a great company with very exciting times ahead of them, and you never know when they'll choose Formula 1 as a marketing tool.
"So for 2016 I don't think that will happen, but for the future there are still possibilities.
"The use of Formula 1 for them was going to be many fold, and perhaps the timing of a future year is better for those objectives."
Asked if there was disappointment such a brand would not be in F1 this year, Szafnauer said: "Our expectations were such that we discussed it and had a good business case to go forward.
"We did it with the objective of it happening in the short term. If it now happens in the long term, is there disappointment? Probably not.
"Is short term better? That's what we are still working towards as there is still an opportunity somewhere down the line, maybe even from '17.
"We're still in communication with them all the time, and definitely it's not dead."

Analysis: What VW's Jost Capito can bring to McLaren F1 team
What is Subaru doing in the BTCC?

Latest news
Why physical fitness is an understimated challenge for IndyCar rookies
The lack of in-car physical fitness is an “underestimated” hurdle for an IndyCar Series rookie, according to Dale Coyne Racing's Indy Lights graduate Sting Ray Robb.
Bubba Wallace ‘got dumped’ by Austin Dillon in NASCAR Clash
Bubba Wallace says Austin Dillon “dumped” him out of second place in NASCAR’s chaotic Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday night.
Albon warns Williams has "long road ahead" to recover in F1
Alex Albon admits that his Williams Formula 1 team has a “long road ahead” as it tries to progress up the field this year.
Toyota won’t put more pressure on Katsuta at WRC Rally Sweden
Toyota World Rally Championship boss Jari-Matti Latvala says the team won’t "put more pressure" on Takamoto Katsuta to deliver in his first drive for the factory team this weekend.
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.