Aston Martin has to start performing at the level it is supposed to and the arrival of Fernando Alonso scheduled for 2023 has been a major boost of optimism. But much more is needed.
During its time in Formula 1 under the name of Force India and Racing Point, the team based in Silverstone today called Aston-Martin He has shown how to do things very well with tight budgets.
It is now in the process of assimilating what has meant considerable growth at all levels, including a new factory and wind tunnel. This has generated some inconveniences derived from accelerated growth, but Aston Martin is confident that all this will be behind in 2023, when Fernando Alonso get behind the wheel of the first single-seater designed under the supervision of Dan Fallows.
“The car has actually had a good performance in the low speed corners”
React as a small team
Aston Martin Performance Director, Tom McCulloughhas spoken about the current situation of Aston Martin, pointing out what he considers the main virtue of the team.
“I think the team has always been very agile. It’s been a small team and essentially there are a few key people who make the decisions. It is not a big bureaucratic company»states in statements to Autosport.
This saw the signing of Fernando Alonso just days after Sebastian Vettel made the decision to retire from Formula 1. And McCullogh hopes it will also become the key to getting the team to where it wants to be.
“When I come back from race weekend, my job is to report to Andrew Green (CTO) and Dan Fallows, who also recently joined us as technical director. That slightly changes the structure, but we are trying to keep the good things of how we used to work, also adding what is necessary to raise the bar»explains the British engineer, who has also worked for Williams and Sauber.
Reacting to the AMR22 fiasco
Aston Martin hoped to take a considerable step forward in 2022, taking advantage of the arrival of the new regulations. However, it has been the team that has regressed the most on the grid and is now fighting to reverse the situation.
“During the winter tests and the first races, we tried to incorporate parts into the car to control the pouring and give you a larger operating window»begins by recounting McCullogh in relation to this year’s problems.
“But we got to a point where, even with the development tools, the wind tunnel, the CFD simulations and the track tests, We weren’t making the progress we wanted.”he admits.
“At some point, we had to say, ‘Okay, we have to do something. During the development phase we followed two different routes. We even designed the chassis to accept the radiators in two different routes, all of these kinds of things.”he comments, anticipating the introduction of the B version of the AMR22 at the Spanish Grand Prix.
“We thought the first route looked good, but we underestimated the rebound problem, so we tried the other philosophy. We started working with that in the wind tunnel again and got it into the car as fast as we could. A great effort was made by manufacturing and production to bring it to Spain»McCullough praises.
“The car has actually performed well in the low speed corners., we have seen it in the analysis in comparison with other people. Our big goal has been to improve the car in high-speed corners, that’s what we’ve been doing lately », he concludes.
Since its introduction at the Spanish Grand Prix in May, Aston Martin in 8 of the 11 races held. In any case, it is still installed in ninth position in the constructors’ championship.
Photos: Aston Martin Racing