00:00We're very confident.
00:01We started a little bit behind our competitors and Adrian only joined us in March.
00:06We didn't get our first wind tunnel car into the wind tunnel until April, so slightly behind
00:12our competitors.
00:13I believe we're in their tunnels in January.
00:18We have a lot of new partners with Honda, a new power unit, we have a new gearbox we're
00:22making for the first time.
00:25We have new sustainable fuels with our fantastic partner Aramco and Valvoline for our lubes
00:32and our engine and our gearbox.
00:34So there's a lot of new.
00:36First time in 75 year Formula One history that they're changing chassis and the power unit
00:41simultaneously.
00:42So it'll be very exciting, no doubt, and be a lot to learn in the first coming races.
00:48What would be a win for you or what would be success for you in terms of placement this
00:53season?
00:54What would you expect to get?
01:01We don't really go in with expectations.
01:03We're going to try our best, do the best we can.
01:06I'm quite confident with the team we've put together and the partners I've just mentioned
01:11that will do a great job.
01:13The set of rules is here with us for five years, so it's not about the first race or two, it's
01:19about the next five years.
01:21Again, extremely confident we have the right people, we have the right tools, we have the
01:25right processes, we have the right partners.
01:27So I'm very confident for, extremely confident for our future.
01:31We have seen reporting that Mercedes and Red Bull have found some kind of edge with variable
01:37engine compression.
01:37It's all very technical.
01:39Some have accused them of cheating like animals, I think was a quote I heard.
01:44Others have defended them.
01:44Christian Horner came to their defense.
01:46What do you think about people looking for an edge in the rules ahead of the season?
01:51Listen, you're always looking for an edge in the rules, and you're always looking to find
01:58loopholes.
01:59That's part of Formula One.
02:01I'm not a technical power unit guru to really give an opinion on exactly what they've done,
02:09but I will leave it to those who are in the know.
02:12Obviously, there's a lot of talk going on between the various power unit teams and the
02:17FIA to check the legality of what they've done.
02:20How about your confidence in Adrian Newey?
02:24Obviously, everyone's very excited to see what he can do with your team, and other teams
02:28have looked with a little bit of wonder and awe at the suspension, for example, that he's
02:34been able to create.
02:35What do you think are your biggest advantages with him?
02:41You said it.
02:42It's having him.
02:43He is the goat.
02:45He is a unicorn.
02:46Nobody has a track record like he's had since his times in Formula One, winning 25 world
02:52championships.
02:53He is unique.
02:54There's one Adrian, and I am very blessed that he's my partner and with our team.
02:59I was lucky enough to speak with George Kern last week, CEO of Breitling, and you now
03:05have a new partnership with them.
03:06What do they bring to the team beyond the brand?
03:09Well, Formula One is all about time.
03:15It's about the stopwatch.
03:17It's about the clock.
03:18One of the important partners is obviously a timekeeper, and there's a fashion aspect around
03:27Formula One of the way people dress, of attitudes, and I think Breitling captures the time component
03:33with their history, with their great timepieces.
03:38They have a history also in aviation, so I think it's very appropriate for these two great
03:44brands to be together.
03:45By the way, a little bit of a curveball here, Lawrence, because yesterday was the Super Bowl
03:49and the Seattle Seahawks were victorious.
03:51They're not too far away from Canada, and there are reports that that team may be for sale.
03:56Would you ever consider going into another league, going into another sport beyond the track?
04:01No, I have my plate full right now.
04:07I'm absolutely thrilled with what I'm doing, and sadly, you just spoiled it for me because
04:13I was planning to go back to my hotel tonight and watch a replay of the game because I was
04:17trying not to know who had won, so I made it this far.
04:21Okay, I apologize.
04:22That's awful.
04:23Although, you know, it was the Super Bowl.
04:25That's okay.
04:25In terms of the F1 team that you own, I mean, valuations have been amazing.
04:33There are reports now that maybe Alpine is looking to sell a stake, and I wonder if you
04:40would be interested in selling any of your stake or your team at this point because it's worth so much.
04:46Yeah, no, I'm very satisfied with my shareholding.
04:53We're not looking to sell any shares.
04:56We're looking to grow the business and to do great in the sport.
04:59Let's talk about the car business.
05:01I've been lucky enough to have Seat Time in the Vanquish as well as the Vantage and the
05:07DBX.
05:07They're amazing cars, and I have to say that a huge alternative to Ferrari is what you
05:16offer, and something that has more beauty than sort of the kind of technical prowess
05:21that the Italians have leaned into.
05:25What do you think the market is getting wrong about Aston Martin, the business?
05:32I think it's just a question of time.
05:35Not many people learned about the DBX.
05:39They're actually finding out about it now.
05:40They were not familiar that we even made an SUV because we don't historically make a product
05:47like that.
05:47It's actually doing extremely well at the moment.
05:50The Vanquish, as you say, is on fire.
05:53We have a fantastic order book for that, as well as DB12 and as well as Vantage.
05:58So for us, it's now a matter of sticking with our portfolio, growing our demand, getting our
06:06dealers in place.
06:07The dealers weren't used to also having such a diverse product offering from the company,
06:12particularly with the launch of Valhalla.
06:15So, you know, not so different in Formula One.
06:17Everything takes time.
06:19I've been in the road car business a similar amount of time as I've been in the Formula One
06:23team, and it's also a 10-year journey.
06:26So we're quite pleased with where we are, and we're quite pleased with the portfolio that
06:32exists, and very excited about the portfolio that will be coming in the years to come.
06:36I'd say I drove the DBX through our snowstorm in New York last week, and it functioned perfectly.
06:41I wouldn't want to change a thing there.
06:44With the Vantage, I might like to add an extra pedal.
06:46And I wonder if you've thought about leaning into the analog side of things.
06:52Aston Martin has always represented like a mechanical intimacy, whereas Ferrari seems to
06:58be leaning into sort of technical and computational excellence.
07:02Do you think that would be a good analog?
07:06Well, we've introduced two manual specials.
07:10So we already have two five-speeds that we've introduced in the last three years to great
07:16demand.
07:16So we believe that, as you call the analog, is still very relative for today's particularly
07:23Aston Martin customers.
07:24So you don't think there's any room for a manual Vantage at your dealerships?
07:33Because it does seem like when I look through the auctions and the used car listings, they
07:41command a huge premium, sometimes 100% premium for a manual car over an automatic.
07:47Yeah, that's probably true.
07:52No, that's not planned for our lineup at the moment.
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