Aston Martin set to enter F1

The famous Aston Martin wings will adorn a Prodrive F1 car for the 2012 Formula One season, it has emerged, after the Gaydon maker agreed a deal with F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone. It means Aston will take the F1 grid for the first time since the early 1960s.

Prodrive is most famous for its ties with the Subaru rally team, having won six WRC titles during its time at the World Rally Championship with the Japanese maker. It has partnered Aston Martin Racing before too, notably in Le Mans 24 Hours races in 2007 and 2008. The Prodrive-Aston Martin team will actually enter F1 in 2010, but it will be called 'Prodrive' until 2012, when it will be renamed Aston Martin.

The news comes as a welcome boost for the sport at a time when Formula One chiefs are embroiled in a bitter battle with its most prestigious entrants over the proposed £40m budget cap. The proposal initially allowed greater mechanical freedom for teams adhering to the cap, while those that didn't would be made to follow a stricter set of rules for their cars, but it's still under discussion. Ferrari claims it will cause job losses and a 'two-tier' competition rather than, as hoped, leveling out the field by giving small teams the chance to compete on par with behemoths like the Prancing Horse and McLaren.

According to Aston boss Dave Richards, however, it is the budget cap that has allowed it to form an F1 team, even though it's expected that the cap will be set higher than £40m when it's finalised and implemented. The Prodrive-Aston team will be linked to McLaren racing too, which means it could have access to Mercedes-Benz engines - currently providing power to this year's surprise championship leaders, Brawn GP.

Mark Nichol