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Aston Martin: 'Surprise that Red Bull came up with the same concept'

Aston Martin: 'Surprise that Red Bull came up with the same concept'

21-05-2022 11:18 Last update: 13:29
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GPblog.com

The Red Bull Racing RB18 and Aston Martin AMR22B are incredibly similar, leading many people to believe that Aston Martin copied Red Bull. Technical director Andrew Green says he is not shocked, but surprised that Red Bull came up with the same concept.

Two concepts for Aston Martin

Aston Martin sat on two concepts over the winter when it came to the new 2022 car. Green let it be known, according to The Race that the B-spec of the AMR22 cannot be a copy, as the first designs of this car were already on the drawing board in mid-2021. Nevertheless, the British team chose to start the season with a completely different design, a design that ultimately proved not to be fast enough.

"Before we’d seen anybody, we were on a dual path. And it came as, not as a shock, but a surprise that Red Bull came out with a similar concept as well," Green reveals. According to Green, the team ended up going down the wrong path and says the RB18 was confirmation of that.

FIA checked everything

For the first five races, the team tried to optimize the first car, but according to Green, this was a 'dead end'. In addition, the launch car's set-up options were very limited. Due to the similarities with the RB18, the FIA came to take pole position, but they green-lighted the new car after analyzing all the data.

"They [FIA] interviewed all the people involved and concluded that it was completely independent development," Green reveals. According to Green, Aston Martin has always been open and honest about the second car the team was preparing.