This week has started off with a flurry of car launches, with both McLaren and Aston Martin launching their cars on Monday.
While most team’s cars appear to have taken inspiration from both Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull for their new designs, Aston Martin’s AMR23 has certainly modelled itself somewhat on Red Bull.
Modelling your car design on clearly the most successful car from the season before does not initially look too suspicious, however when you factor in that Aston Martin’s technical chief Dan Fallows is the former head of aerodynamics at Red Bull, some controversy arises.
While Mercedes started 2022 with no sidepods and Ferrari went for a slightly longer than normal sidepod design, Aston Martin have adopted the Red Bull design of a detailed sidepod.
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Certain elements of the AMR23 have been hard to see from the launch photos, with the underfloor being difficult to analyse so far.
The team have however adopted Alpine’s approach to the airflow around the top of the sidepods, with a deep gulley running along the top of the sidepod to contain any excess airflow that cannot be dealt with by the car’s radiators.
The rest of the AMR23 looks relatively complex, with the pullrod/pushrod system at the front and back of the car having a lot of anti-lift characteristics to help the car’s rear get lower to the ground to rotate easier.
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The wishbone layout does also not look as simple as some of the other team’s designs, with a multi-link system appearing to be in place rather than just a simple top and bottom wishbone.
Obviously there will be some changes to the car and some things that are currently hidden before F1 travels to Bahrain, with the teams not looking to give anything away before the season begins in a couple of weeks.
With the AMR23 looking similar to the Red Bull, the ‘Green Bull’ allegations that arose at last season’s Spanish Grand Prix could be set to rear their head again, with Dan Fallows and the rest of the team insisting that they are on their own independent development pathway.