Aston Martin is receiving interest from several teams to purchase engines in 2021 as they consider whether to return to Formula 1 as suppliers, Autosport has reported.
The British carmaker has given a positive response to initial proposals put forward by owners Liberty Media and the FIA last October, with CEO Andy Palmer insisting Aston would only become a supplier if the financial aspect was controlled.
However, the changes put forward are from being confirmed as the new engine regulations with talks now ongoing to appease the strong backlash from current F1 manufacturers, notably Ferrari and Mercedes.
Aston Martin are increasing their profile in the sport regardless, becoming the title sponsor of Red Bull Racing in 2018 with the new logo revealed on Tuesday and the Milton Keynes outfit is believed to be the the first in the queue if the company do go ahead with an engine project.
Other manufacturers are being linked to a return in 2021, including Cosworth and Porsche, but Aston has been the most proactive with two former Ferrari engine men in Joerg Ross and Luca Marmorini employed and starting work on a concept design.
That has attracted interest from more than just Red Bull according to the British publication and Palmer didn't shut the door on supplying multiple teams.
"I have some rough maths in terms of what cost and what price," he said. "With all of this stuff in F1, you have to factor in intangibles because you're talking about a marketing return, not necessarily a physical return."
Part of that marketing strategy is to use F1 as a platform to compete with those Aston also target with their road cars.
"This is to seed the soil for when we bring a mid-engined car to compete with the Ferrari 488, which is what the Valkyrie [sportscar] was about," Palmer explained. "It's about creating credibility ready for when we go mainstream face-to-face with Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren on the road.
"The timing of the 2021 regulations work really well, because it is about the time we'll be bringing that car out."
