How justified are the controversies about the similarity of the new Aston Martin AMR22 with the Red Bull RB18. The FIA carried out an investigation by unexpectedly showing up at the team’s headquarters in Silverstone to see if there could have been an intellectual property transfer between the world champion team and Lawrence Stroll’s.
Federal technical commissioners have not found any lines that lead back the birth of the AMR22 Spec B to Adrian Newey’s car.
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR22, on the grid
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
The suspicion was born because the passage of seven people from Milton Keynes to the Gaydon brand was public, in the upgrade plan that the Canadian owner launched last year: the most popular name is Dan Fallows, former Red Bull aerodynamic leader, promoted to technical director at Aston Martin, officially since the beginning of April. The FIA has closed the investigation, but Red Bull promises to come up with evidence on the snatching of… ideas.
Given that there has been no spy story, there is no doubt that each new face brings all its knowledge to the landing team. It is obvious and they would not be justified, otherwise, the lavish engagements that are worth so much more are the concepts that an engineer is able to “remember”.
The new sides of the Aston Martin AMR22
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Having said that, it is right to tell the story of the Aston Martin AMR22. The car presented in Gaydon on February 10 is a car born “dead”. Lawrence Stroll at the launch of the “verdona” seemed to be attending a funeral rather than at the birth of the first ground-effect machine, expression of the new regulation.
Andy Green, CTO Aston Martin, explained that in the design phase they had explored the two constructive philosophies: both the double bottom, then chosen, and the sloping bellies. The latter had been shelved because the wind tunnel data was pushing in the first direction, indicating a development that seemed easier.
The fact is that the Aston Martin immediately turned out to be the wrong car, unable to score points up to Imola when a new package was introduced which in some parts of the car anticipated the arrival of step B in Barcelona.
Luca Furbatto
Dan Fallows
The idea of changing aerodynamic philosophy was already clear at the end of last year, when both Luca Furbatto, who in the meantime arrived from Alfa Romeo, as head of engineering, and the aforementioned Dan Fallows expressed their doubts about the car. double bottom. And from the beginning of 2022 a race began to bring the car with the sloping bellies to the track as soon as possible.
It seems all too evident, therefore, that the accusation of having copied the RB18 with the photos does not stand up: the definitive version of Milton Keynes’s car was seen for the first time in tests in Bahrain at the beginning of March. , when Adrian Newey’s creature began to be kept an eye on for real indicating lines of development that were followed without hesitation, as they seemed to fit perfectly with the Aston Martin Spec B that no one had seen yet.
The processing of Giorgio Piolawhich compared the Aston Martin Spec B with the Red Bull RB18, shows us some macro differences between the two cars that indicate how the projects were born on separate bases.
Aston Martin AMR22
Photo by: Uncredited
Red Bull RB18
Photo by: Uncredited
To begin with, the “verdona” has a Mercedes power unit, while the Red Bull uses the Honda engine and each unit has very different packaging. Even the frames do not have congruence: Sebastian Vettel is seated further forward than Max Verstappen (the German’s helmet protrudes more from the Halo because the position is more vertical), but also for the layout of the car which is different.
Comparison between the Red Bull Racing RB18 and the Aston Martin AMR22
Photo by: Uncredited
Newey wanted to move the front wheels away from the bellies and it is observed how the real entry of the radiator vents on the RB18 is much further back than the Aston Martin ones. It follows, therefore, that the Honda engine is moved further back and Red Bull has approved a shorter gearbox than the Mercedes one, which leads to a power unit located further forward.
This hardware arrangement is also found on the W13 and the arrangement does not have to be ideal to get the most out of the 18-inch Pirelli tires. Perhaps we can understand certain difficulties experienced by the silver arrow, although it moved the beginning of the bellies further back by having that airfoil that acts as a flow deviator and support for the mirrors.
Aston Martin AMR22: push rod front suspension
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Red Bull RB18: the pull rod front suspension
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
In short, between Red Bull and Aston Martin there are great differences in design, even if the two cars arrive at very similar wheelbase measures. The RB18 was born with the front pull rod suspension and the rear with the push rod scheme, the exact opposite of the AMR 22 which, on the other hand, remained faithful to the concepts used in previous years.
Aston Martin AMR22
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Red Bull Racing RB18
Photo by: Uncredited
Even the arrangement of the radiators has few similarities: Red Bull has limited the radiant packs in the sides, preferring to also mount them above the internal combustion engine, while the Aston Martin is closer to the Mercedes cooling system, after having renounced the horizontal radiators and mounted at the top of the “verdona” Spec A.
The lateral design of the bellies shows an RB18 with a line (white arrow) higher in the middle of the side, because the part hollowed out underneath is greater, while the AMR22 has sidepods more degrading towards the rear, with a smaller base at the foot of the pavement.
Aston Martin AMR22 bottom detail
Photo by: Uncredited
Detail of the Red Bull Racing RB18 bottom
Photo by: Uncredited
Going to make the tare on what was controversially said in Barcelona, it emerges very clearly that the … copying has led to a strong convergence of the aerodynamic shape because the trend of the bellies with the flare, the vents of the hot air of the radiators , the bottom and the rear extractor are of Red Bull matrix.
The AMR22 in Spain did not show potential that seemed much better than the previous car, but it is fair to remember that the Barcelona GP was like a winter test for a new car. We will find out where the “verdona” can go between Baku and Montreal, because Monte Carlo is really a roulette wheel …
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