Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is “pleased” that former head of aerodynamics Dan Fallows is “doing a good job” at Aston Martin, with the Silverstone-based team currently being the Austrians’ closest competitor.
Aston Martin’s meteoric rise this year has so far been one of the stories of the season, with the side having claimed a podium at every round.
After finishing seventh in the Constructors’ Championship last year, Aston Martin currently find themselves in second, 58 points behind Red Bull.
Whilst Fernando Alonso has been exceptional for Aston Martin, a lot of their recent success has been put down to Fallows’ influence, with him having been signed by the team in 2021 to be their technical director.
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Many have noted the similarities between Aston Martin’s and Red Bull’s cars since the arrival of Fallows, with accusations having been made last season that data was stolen from Milton Keynes.
Aston Martin were cleared of any wrongdoing sharply by the FIA; however, comments are still being made over their similarity.
Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko even stated in Bahrain that the podium consisted of “three Red Bulls”, whilst Horner also joked that it was nice to see their “old” car on the rostrum.
Whether this is an attempt at mind games or to put Aston Martin off remains to be seen, but for the time being the British side look set to just get increasingly better.
Fallows’ influence at Aston Martin will likely result in further improvements throughout the season, perhaps making Horner regret allowing him to leave in the first place.
This seemingly isn’t the case, though, with Horner having noted that his departure has allowed “other engineers” to move into Fallows’ place.
“In the UK you’ve got seven teams within probably a 50-mile radius, so inevitably there’s going to be competition,” Horner told Sky Sports.
“We’ve had a very low turnover of staff in our history at Red Bull, and it’s great that we’ve given talent a chance to develop and achieve great things.
“When they go to other teams, I’m pleased for Dan that he’s doing a good job, but his departure has given other engineers an opportunity and everything is about evolution. The team we have now is even stronger than the one we had two years ago.
“We’re always looking inwardly and looking ahead.”
It has been widely speculated that Adrian Newey might also be leaving Red Bull very soon, following rumours that his contract is on the verge of expiring.
Horner has quashed any suggestions that their chief technical officer is going to depart, with Newey having been labelled as “an important part of our team”.
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“There’s always going to be rumours in this paddock, that’s Formula 1,” Horner said.
“He’s such an important part of our team and popular part of our team.
“It’s great to have him with us for the long term, but also to be involved in some of the things we’re now getting involved in.”