As soon as Red Bull’s former aerodynamics boss Dan Fallows appears at Aston Martin, the racing team brings a revised car that shows clear similarities with the RB18. But the new head of technology at Aston Martin emphasizes that this has nothing to do with him.
Fallows was poached from Red Bull to Aston Martin in the middle of last season and was allowed to start at Silverstone after a hiatus earlier in the year. In terms of sport, it was a step backwards for him.
Because while Red Bull will probably win both world titles in 2022, his current racing team can only be found at the end of the field and is struggling not to retire in Q1.
“When I first saw the AMR22, it was very different from Red Bull’s philosophy,” says Fallows. He obviously knew Red Bull’s plans because work on the RB18 was well advanced when he left Red Bull. “So I have a pretty good understanding of what they did and how they approached things.”
“I was curious about the mindset”
While he wouldn’t say he didn’t think the AMR22 was fast at first glance, “I thought it was going to be a challenge to achieve the kind of performance that Red Bull wanted to achieve with the concept of their car”.
“I was curious about the thinking behind the AMR22 philosophy, but by the time I arrived the team had already concluded that they needed to pursue an alternative design solution,” said Fallows.
With the original concept, Aston Martin lagged behind the competition. In Barcelona, the team then presented a completely renewed version of the car, which showed great similarities with the Red Bull concept. Coincidence? Or did Fallows already have his fingers in the pie?
Did Fallows copy the Red Bull concept?
“No, not at all,” he emphasizes. “The upgrade was already planned before I arrived. I totally understand why the team did it. The car was always developed with two concepts in mind and I felt very early on that it was going in the wrong direction. “
However, he admits that the change of concept helped him to settle into his role more quickly. “I understood more of the concept we presented at the Spanish Grand Prix than the previous concept.”
Nevertheless, the upgrade did not bring great sporting success: Aston Martin is still only ninth in the constructors’ championship.