The fact that the “green Red Bull”, which Aston Martin presented in Barcelona as its own B version of the AMR22, was designed completely legally is something that Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko cannot imagine with the best will in the world. The similarities between the two cars are just too striking, especially in the area around the sidepods, which is the focus this year.
Red Bull took the matter with defiant humor on Friday. During the first free practice session in Barcelona, team boss Christian Horner, star designer Adrian Newey & Co. placed green Red Bull cans at the command post as a drink. A wink with the fence post.
Because the FIA’s assessment that Aston Martin happened to have developed exactly the same design, independently of Red Bull in a separate design process that was launched months ago, hardly anyone at Red Bull believes – even if Marko told “Sky” clarifies: “Copying is not prohibited.”
Marko rages about Aston Martin: “Incredible copy”
But: “You now have to clarify how this incredible copy came about. You have to take into account that seven people were poached from us and that our chief aerodynamics specialist was drawn to Aston Martin for a disproportionately high fee. There are still some facts which we are examining. We will investigate the matter in detail.”
What Marko is alluding to: Dan Fallows, longtime aerodynamicist and designer at Red Bull, was poached by Aston Martin in June 2021. On April 2nd he started his new job as Technical Director. In retrospect, Marko finds the high fee Aston Martin used to poach the engineer suspicious.
“The sums that are used here are incomprehensible. Also in connection with the ‘cost cap’. If an aerodynamicist suddenly earns so much more, how is it supposed to work out overall?” asks the Austrian.
And Marko goes even further with his allegations when he says: “There is evidence that data was downloaded.” That would actually be illegal, should the accusation be substantiated. “Copying is not strictly forbidden. But can you copy without documents and then get such a detailed copy of our car?”
Official statement from Red Bull
Marko is known for his brash tones. But even the official Red Bull statement on the subject suggests that the FIA’s decision not to pursue the issue any further will not simply be accepted.
According to the Milton Keynes team, the FIA statement was read “with great interest”. Although imitation is generally flattering, Red Bull emphasizes that the rules regarding so-called “reverse engineering” must be observed: “If intellectual property has been transferred, that would clearly be a breach of the rules.”
It is not the first time that the Aston Martin team has been accused of illegally copying from another team. As early as 2020, the racing team, then still under the name Racing Point, was accused of having copied the Mercedes. The FIA found Racing Point guilty. Sanction: 15 championship points deducted and a fine of 400,000 euros.
Glock: Marko isn’t talking nonsense
“Sky” expert Timo Glock is convinced: “I think we’ll be dealing with it a little longer as clearly and distinctly as Helmut Marko addresses it. There’s definitely something to what he says, otherwise he would don’t say so directly.”
“It was not without reason that the Red Bull people stood in front of the pits yesterday, looked at it and sometimes shook their heads. These are really topics that deal with the details: How do I arrange the cooler? What do I have for Is there an idea behind it? What do you get in the end, aerodynamically speaking, if I build the car like this?”
“I think there could still be a bit of unrest at Aston Martin,” Glock suspects and says: “The point is this: the development of these cars with this new concept started much earlier, the first ideas. So we know Dan Fallows what the Red Bull journey has been and the ideas that have been pursued.”
“Of course he took them with him. They’re in his head and he takes them with him. What might have been played on one or the other memory stick in the background? No idea. We’ll find out at some point,” says Glock.