Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has admitted that signing Dan Fallows and Eric Blandin has been an enormous “benefit” for the Silverstone-base team, who have certainly made the most of the former Red Bull and Mercedes engineers’ “expertise”.
Aston Martin’s rise from the lower midfield to the leading pack has been sensational, with nobody having pinned them as the likely candidate to claim second in the Constructors’ Championship.
Whilst it was known that they were entering 2023 in a very good position, nobody expected them to be Red Bull’s closest competitor, but here we are.
Hiring former Red Bull head of aerodynamics Fallows and former Mercedes chief aerodynamicist Blandin has worked perfectly for Aston Martin, with the side having inherited knowledge from the two leading teams.
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“I would be lying if I said we didn’t benefit from the expertise of those two,” Krack told Auto Motor und Sport.
“The approach is different in every team, so it gave us insight into how we do things. Do we need to make adjustments?”
Red Bull chief technology officer Adrian Newey is the latest high-profile name to be linked to the British side, with the engineering genius reportedly in need of a new contract.
Rumours of a switch have been hushed, though, by Red Bull boss Christian Horner, who is adamant that Newey will remain with the Austrians “for many years to come”.
“There’s always going to be rumours in this paddock. That’s Formula 1,” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told Sky.
“We don’t talk about contracts or longevity of contracts, but he’ll be here for many years to come.
“It’s great to have him with us for the long-term, but also to be involved in projects like some of the things that we’re now getting involved in.”
Keeping hold of Newey is set to be crucial to Red Bull extending their current dominance into the future, especially as it looks increasingly likely that the side will need a new star driver in a few years.
Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen has hinted at an early retirement several times over recent months, with the Dutchman being very against all the ongoing format changes.
“We’re heading into seasons where you have 24, 25 races, because that’s where we’re going to head into,” Verstappen said.
“And if we start adding even more stuff, it’s not worth it for me anyway. I’m not enjoying that.”
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Horner is very aware that Verstappen won’t be around for many more years, with the boss knowing very well that the 25-year-old won’t be in F1 for as long as the likes of Fernando Alonso.
“Max is his own man and he’s very, very strong in his opinions and on his outlook on what he wants to do in his life,” Horner said.
“And I don’t see him being a Fernando Alonso and still racing at 41 or 42 years of age, or maybe not in Formula 1.”