Red Bull Advisor Backtracks On Team's Aston Martin Copycat Accusations
The Bahrain Grand Prix race weekend saw rumours circulating about similarities between Aston Martin's AMR23 and Red Bull Racing's RB18. These rumours were further fuelled by the fact that Dan Fallows, a former aerodynamicist at Red Bull Racing, has been serving as Aston Martin's new technical director since April 2022.
While some have speculated about the possibility of the AMR23 being a copy of the RB18, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has downplayed the issue. The 79-year-old Austrian denied all rumours, stating that it's not just Fallows who has switched to Aston Martin, but other employees as well. He also joked that they must have a good memory, but stressed that there should be no accusations towards Aston Martin or Red Bull's former employees. He said:
"It's not just Fallows who has switched to Aston Martin, but some other employees as well. Obviously, they have a good memory.
"And this is not an accusation either."
During the post-race press conference, Sergio Perez made a humorous remark, saying "It's nice to see three Red Bull cars on the podium," alluding to the similarities between the AMR23 and the RB18. Marko also joked about the possible copy, but he did add that the AMR23 is the car that is most similar to the Red Bull in the current field.
While some may question the similarities between the two cars, it's important to note that it's not uncommon for Formula One teams to share knowledge and expertise. However, with such similarities between the AMR23 and the RB18, some fans may wonder if Aston Martin has taken it too far.