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The Aston Martin Formula 1 team has put the call out for as it looks hundreds of new staff to join its racing operation.
Having grown out of what was once Jordan, and most recently Racing Point, the squad has received significant investment over the past 18 months.
That came courtesy of new owners, headed by billionaire Lawrence Stroll.
Last year the squad finished fourth in the constructors’ championship, having been docked 15 points after it was ruled to have shortcut the design process by usual intellectual property it was not entitled to.
In Azerbaijan last weekend, Sebastian Vettel provided the team with its first podium since Sergio Perez took victory at the Sakhir Grand Prix last season.
It was a result that built on the German’s fifth place finish in Monaco, and means he’s scored a total of 28 points in the last two races – only Sergio Perez has scored more.
Back at base, work has been ongoing to expand the operation.
A new factory is currently under construction, replacing the facility Jordan used when it entered F1 three decades ago.
There’s also a significant recruitment drive underway.
“We’ve added significantly the amount of people that we had since we were Force India,” said team principal Otmar Szafnauer.
“The new factory is, is on track, we started building already.
“It’s a big programme to recruit even further.
“We’re at about 535 people now, we’ll probably get to the region of 800 or whatever the right size is under the under the cost cap,” he added.
“We’re strategically working on that now and trying to recruit like-minded individuals that want to come work for Aston Martin and go racing at the highest level, so the recruitment processes is going well.”
Aston Martin’s expansion comes at a time when rivals such as Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari have had to shed or reassign staff as a result of F1’s new cost cap regulations.
Teams are restricted to $145 million for performance related expenses, a figure that will slide to $135 million in coming seasons.
The recruitment effort also comes six months out from radical new aerodynamic rules in the sport which are hoped to offer a more even playing field.
Aston Martin has historically been regarded as something of a giant-killer – a team capable of achieving success despite operating to a much lower budget than the leading players.
Changes to the rules and the addition of new owners looks set to further level that playing field.
