The head of engine development at champion team Mercedes leaves the team. Andy Cowell says goodbye to Mercedes AMG F1, but it is not yet certain whether he also says goodbye to Formula 1. There is direct speculation about possible paths the Brit can take.

Renowned F1 journalist Joe Saward gets involved in the discussion and says there's really only one logical step for Cowell to take if he wants to stay in the sport. Not Ferrari, Honda or Renault are where he should go, but Aston Martin is the best choice.

He started the conversation in his own newsletter JSBM. Saward warns in advance that it is speculation, but anything is possible: "Aston Martin is part of an ambitious group of investors and now has its own factory team in F1."

A customer team doesn't win

According to Saward it is important that the team remains a factory team if they want to be a winning team: "Although it's very expensive to invest in an engine of your own, it's a smart thing to do for Aston Martin. Also because it's convenient for the manufacturer to have a 1.6 litre F1 spec hybrid turbo V6 engine, in order to use that technology for the other cars as well".

"If you want to get this done quickly as a team, you have to make sure that you hire the man who knows how to make a winning power unit and can continue to develop in 2022 and 2023. Then you could make use of that until the new engine rules of 2026. It's speculation, but it's the only logical choice for Cowell."

In the statement Cowell made when he left Mercedes, he said he was looking for new challenges in the engineering business. A legitimate question: "What is a bigger challenge than trying to beat your own engine?"