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Dan Fallows believes that Aston Martin are following a similar trajectory to when Red Bull built a team to win multiple championships.
Dan Fallows celebrating Red Bull’s one-two at the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix (Image Credit: Lars Baron/Getty Images)Fallows experienced a successful time as a head of aerodynamics role at Red Bull. The 48-year-old enjoyed the dominant era of Sebastian Vettel, winning a total of nine titles with the Austrian team.
The Briton left Red Bull to join Aston Martin in April 2022. Lawrence Stroll wanted Fallows, as the Silverstone team are going through a heavy recruitment process.
The change of teams saw Fallows reunite with Sebastian Vettel after their Red Bull years. However, the German will be retiring at the end of the year.
Stroll has the ambition of making Aston Martin a front-running team as a five-year plan. The Silverstone team are currently enduring a tough season, sitting ninth in the constructors’ championship.
The intention is there from Stroll, as the Canadian businessman has invested in a new factory for 2023. The team have also signed two-time world champion Fernando Alonso to replace fellow world champion, Sebastian Vettel, showing the team’s ambition.
Aston Martin are like a young Red Bull team rising to the top
Dan Fallows participated in an interview with Aston Martin, where the British Engineer compared Aston Martin to Red Bull when the Austrian team evolved from Jaguar.
“One of the most exciting parts of the Red Bull journey was when the team evolved from Jaguar. A small team with a very limited budget suddenly had significantly more budget, more resource, and more technical strength right at the top of the organisation.
“Watching the team grow, being part of that growth, being part of the success, even making mistakes along the way and learning from them, it was incredibly exciting.
The 48-year-old made the comparison of the two teams, making the Briton excited for the future years:
“What’s happening at Aston Martin F1 right now feels very similar to what happened at Red Bull then.”
Fallows wanted a “new challenge”
The British Engineer emphasised his point of leaving Red Bull, as he wanted to pursue a new challenge. The 48-year-old is excited to be part of a building process once again:
“The most rewarding times in my career have been when I’m presented with a challenge, and I’ve gone on to overcome that challenge.”
“It’s not just the challenge, though, it’s the opportunity to be part of something that goes from being something modest to something spectacular. There’s serious ambition at Aston Martin F1 – from Lawrence Stroll at the very top, right the way through the entire team.
“So, to be asked to join the team on its journey. But also given the resources that I have, is incredibly exciting. It’s incredibly exciting when someone puts that level of faith in you, when they’re essentially saying, ‘here’s a Formula 1 team, turn it into what you want, get the people you want, run it how you want, make it successful – make your mark.'”
The Racing Point RP20 looked very similar to the Mercedes W10 (Image Credit: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
The importance of creating your own philosophy
The Silverstone team have been known to copying concepts from other teams in the recent years. The 2020 season saw Racing Point have a car very similar to the championship-winning 2019 Mercedes. The RP20 caused a lot of controversy, ending in a 15-point deduction and a $400,000 fine due to copied brake ducts.
This season saw Aston Martin design a completely different concept midway through the season. The B-Spec car, launched at the Spanish Grand Prix, looked very similar to the Red bull RB18. However, when the FIA inspected the car, Aston Martin were able to provide enough evidence to satisfy the FIA, showing it was their design.
Despite looking like the Red Bull, it has not performed like the Red Bull. The Silverstone team struggled significantly at Monza due to the high amounts of drag the car had. Red Bull, on the other side, are very quick in a straight line as the Austrian team have a low-drag car.
Fallows emphasised the point of not going down a certain team’s route:
“I took on this challenge because I felt that things could be done differently. It’s not about doing things the Red Bull way, or the Mercedes way, or the Ferrari way. It’s about coming up with a better way – the Aston Martin way.”
Feature Image Credit: Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty Images
