Fernando Alonso’s podium finish in the Bahrain GP sparked a plethora of emotions not only among his fans, but in other interested parties as well. People overall were happy to see the 42-year-old driver excited as a rookie when he crossed the finish line.

Not everyone was happy with the great result he had with Aston Martin. In Red Bull camp, Dr. Helmut Marko ironized the team’s achievement. He said that “We had three Red Bulls on the podium, only the last one with a different engine.”

This allegory roots from the fact that the AMR-23 presents similarities with the RB-18, Red Bull's last season car. The main reason for this is that their former aerodynamic chief, Dan Fallows, moved to Aston Martin in April 2022. He worked 15 years for Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s Chief Technical Officer.

Fallow started working for Aston Martin very early in the 2022 season; only the Bahrain, and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix had passed. It is important to mention this because a bit later during the season, Aston Martin presented a B-Spec chassis that had very similar elements to the RB-18.

The AMR-23 is an evolution of the B-Spec chassis of the AMR-22, last year's car. The similarities start to look more refined in this year's car. It is evident that Aston Martin was in everyone's mind, prior to the start of the 2023 season.

Marko said that “It’s true that what Fallows had in his head cannot be erased; copying the focus is not prohibited, but can you copy in such detail without having documentation of our car?”

Red Bull’s advisor is playing devil’s advocate here, implying that Fallows could have gotten a hand on Red Bulls documentation about the RB-18, but also saying that it is difficult to erase someone’s memories, and that influencing focus is not illegal.

On the other hand, ‘Checo’ Perez said something similar to Marko’s statement; Team Principal Christian Horner also resonated with the sentiment: “They’ve obviously done a good job over the winter. They say imitation is the biggest form of flattery and, you know, it’s good to see the old car doing so well.”

Let’s take a look between both cars, and see some of their similarities.

We can see a lot of similarities in the sidepods' profile.

The barge board also presents elements that are alike. There is a depression in the middle, present in both cars. The fin or winglet just behind the front wheels also has a similar profile.

On the rear side, there is a duct-like structure that helps with airflow and goes all the way to the exhaust system.

A natural evolution?

When R&D engineers and aerodynamicists design new elements or parts for the car, they are usually an evolution of what they have been previously working on. There are rare cases of parts being completely redesigned, and they usually take more time.

Comparing the AMR-22 to the AMR-23, we can see a big departure from the overall philosophy of the car. Aston Martin certainly made a name by getting inspiration elsewhere. I remember when Racing Point (now Aston Martin) made the RP-20, and everyone called it called the 'Pink Mercedes', due to its obvious similarities with the W10 from Mercedes.

Let's compare how the AMR-22 evolved into the B-Spec chassis brought a month after Fallows joined Aston Martin in 2022:

The AMR-22 suffered from severe bouncing at the start of the season. Only Mercedes seemed to share that issue to that extent; other teams might have had some sort of problem but not as pronounced as Aston Martin and Mercedes.

Bringing the B-Spec chassis would solve the bouncing issues they suffered. Once the weekend in Barcelona started, everyone immediately noticed how similar the car is to the RB-18, Red Bull's car.

In the comparison, you can see how similar the wings, cooling fins, and the engine cover is. The floor (highlighted in turquoise) also shows a similar structure with a cut in the middle.

In this picture we can see a radical shift in design philosophy. The cooling fins became smaller and very alike to the ones Red Bull had in the RB-18. Its overall lines are more compact, and everything is tighter.

Dan Fallows' impact on the design of the B-Spec is very noticeable. Only a month after his arrival at Aston Martin, seeing radical changes like this is the result of direct influence.

Evolving the B-Spec

Aston Martin certainly implemented new concepts for the AMR-23. Its car goes beyond being a mere B-Spec 2.0. It takes some of its good aerodynamic concepts but it also innovates with some new ones.

The hollow side pod allows more downforce, and according to Giorgio Piola, it 'emulates the blown diffuser effect that Red Bull used in the early 2010s; it is known as the “Coanda” effect.

The Coanda effect is the tendency of a fluid jet to stay attached to a convex surface. It is named after Hungarian inventor Henri Coanda.

The barge board also evolved from what the team had in the B-Spec chassis of the AMR-22. There is a protuberance in the lower side of the side impact structure. It is quite similar to what the RB-18 had.

Aston Martin also implemented a laid-back radiator when they presented the B-Spec chassis. This year they are keeping the same concept, but evolved the design of the structure around it, the hollow side pod.

More than meets the eye

On the surface, the car is very similar to the RB-18. There is no denying that. Fallows' influence is ever present in the aerodynamic elements of the new AMR-23. That being said, the internal structure of the car is where we might have differences between both.

Each power unit manufacturer makes a slightly different design than the other. Packing the power unit to the back of the car varies per manufacturer. Red Bull runs a Honda branded power unit. Aston Martin runs a Mercedes power unit.

Packing both of them is very different. Aston Martin might have had to redesign a lot of the Red Bull inspired concepts to fit their Mercedes engine.

The RB-18 presents a rear side with less complex elements, compared to the AMR-23. Red Bull presents a simple engine cover back side, while Aston Martin has a much tighter one. The AMR-23 engine cover back-side is closer to the exhaust pipe, and also presents a symmetrical arch on each side of it.

It follows along the lines of the louvres or cooling fins up front.

The rear wings are similar in both cars. The winglets at the bottom, on the sides of the exhaust, and also on the lower side of the wheels are strikingly similar. They both opted for a broad diffuser.

The rear side of the car is one of the most important structures because it is where the engine and gearbox are placed. As mentioned previously, their design varies according to the manufacturer, and simply copying Red Bull's design would not be viable for Aston Martin, since they run a Mercedes engine.

I am sure that the internal components hidden by the engine-cover will reveal a lot of differences in both cars.

A car that will compete with the Big 3.

Can this design help Aston Martin compete with the Big 3? Certainly, during the Bahrain GP, they looked strong. Mercedes was not able to match their pace, and Ferrari paid the consequences of reliability, and severe degradation.

I believe that Aston Martin will force these teams to be at their best in every single race. One slip up like the one we saw at Bahrain, and Aston Martin might snatch a podium finish from Ferrari, Mercedes, and even one of the Red Bulls, albeit they suffer from reliability issues, or have to pit due to a puncture, or fit a new front wing.

What are your thoughts on the AMR-23? Are they going to be able to get more podiums, or perhaps a win during the season? Did they copy Red Bull? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy racing.