Last week, news broke that Aston Martin’s Formula 1 team was paying out £50 million (about $63 million at current exchange rates) to the carmaker Aston Martin for the naming rights to its own brand. That might sound odd—but the move appears to be a win for both the road car operation and for the F1 team.
In its official communication, first reported by Reuters, the company said the transaction would “enhance the group’s liquidity position,” a carefully worded but important signal to investors watching cash flow closely. The road car company, Aston Martin Lagonda, has been navigating a difficult financial stretch in recent years, warning of deeper losses amid softer demand and ongoing macroeconomic headwinds. The £50 million injection strengthens liquidity immediately.
Aston Martin F1
On the other side sits the Formula 1 operation, now formally securing the Aston Martin name in perpetuity through AMR GP Holdings, the entity tied to team ownership under Lawrence Stroll. Stroll framed the move as long-term strategic positioning, calling it “an important step in our team’s journey” and emphasizing the ambition to compete for world championships.
Takashi Aoyama//Getty Images
Here’s the reason this whole move is a win-win: it effectively decouples the racing team’s brand stability from the volatility of the road car business. If Aston Martin Lagonda faces further restructuring or even ownership changes, the F1 team keeps permanent rights to one of motorsport’s most prestigious badges. In a Formula 1 ecosystem where franchise values have soared and long-term brand certainty matters to sponsors, that’s a huge victory. Aston F1 previously had a contract for the name until 2055, according to Bloomberg; now, the team can keep its name into the next century and beyond.
Of course, for the carmaker, it means that the brand has some fresh cash to keep turning the ship around. And it all underscores how Formula 1 has become a financial instrument rather than simply a marketing expense or technological development lab. Teams are now appreciating assets; locking in a historic name increases value, and now that value is independent of how many cars Aston Martin sells to wealthy James Bond fans.
Aston Martin
Related Stories