Aston Martin’s motorsport director, Helmut Marko, jokingly remarked earlier this year that it has been nice to see ‘three Red Bulls’ on the podium. While the comments reflect the similarities between the two teams, the Aston Martin AMR23 is far from a clone of the Red Bull RB18. Although the Aston Martin 2022 challenger initially gravitated towards the design concepts seen on the Red Bull RB18, the team has heavily evolved and added to its foundations to deliver a different development route.
Design Differences
F1’s current regulations allow for a certain amount of design freedom, but they are quite restrictive, resulting in all the cars having very similar overall design layouts. However, the Aston Martin AMR23 is different from the Red Bull car. In terms of sidepod design, Aston Martin heavily evolved its concept this year and went down a path that was first adopted by Alpine with its A522, with a channel running along the length of the sidepod. The AMR23’s ‘slidepod’ design is much more aggressive than Alpine’s. The slope is dug much deeper into the bodywork to define the airflow’s passage toward the rear of the car.
One area where Red Bull and Aston Martin are similar is that they both have a high-waisted engine cover solution. However, Aston Martin has continued to develop the concept, as the AMR23 utilises a similar solution to the sidepod, with the central portion dug out to help improve the airflow’s behaviour as it travels to the rear of the car.
Unique Approaches
The most obvious difference between the internal DNA of the two challengers is that Red Bull has its own Honda-based powertrain, while Aston Martin purchases its power unit, gearbox, and rear suspension from Mercedes. This limits Aston Martin, as it is effectively locked into design decisions taken by the ‘works’ Mercedes team. Meanwhile, Red Bull made the switch to push-rod in 2022 and has continued on that path this season, resulting in a different packaging methodology for the inboard components.
Aston Martin has the freedom to make its own decisions regarding the front of the car, as it does not purchase the hardware from Mercedes. It has retained the more conventional push-rod arrangement, whereas Red Bull switched to a pull-rod layout. The suspension arms are an encumbrance in this respect, and designers use the suspension fairings to the best of their abilities to improve flow to the sidepods, floor, floor fences, and underfloor.
Another distinct difference between the two teams is their wing choices. Red Bull appears able to run with much less wing relative to the rest of the field, let alone Aston Martin. This suggests that it has much more downforce at its disposal and can balance the car at each circuit accordingly. It also means it will be quicker in the speed traps, as it is carrying less drag. This has also had a huge benefit in terms of the DRS boost, which has emerged as one area where Red Bull has a massive advantage right now.
In conclusion, while Aston Martin and Red Bull have some similarities, the AMR23 is a unique design. Aston Martin has taken a different development route and has evolved its concept to deliver a car that is distinct from the Red Bull RB18. The differences between the two teams are evident in various areas, including the sidepod design, engine cover solution, and wing choices.
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