Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko, alleges there is proof that Aston Martin has acquired some of his team’s data to assist them construct a new Formula 1 car that looks suspiciously like Red Bull’s.
Aston Martin landed in Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this week with a newly redesigned AMR22, which made its track debut on Friday during practise.
The Aston Martin’s redesigned halo, sidepods, and engine cover are all extremely similar to the parts Red Bull has been using all season, with their RB18 car winning both the Imola and Miami Grand Prix.
The Aston Martin has been dubbed the “Green Red Bull” by fans and analysts because to the upgrades made to it, and the fact that it bears little similarity to the version the team has been running throughout the season has led to suspicions of copying.
The design was approved by the FIA during an inspection earlier this week, but Red Bull issued a statement on Friday implying that they do not consider the matter to be closed.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner expressed concern after Friday’s Spanish Grand Prix practice insisting that his team’s intellectual property had been taken.
“Immitation is the biggest form of flattery,” he told Sky Sports F1. “It’s no coincedence that we’ve had a few individuals who have transferred to Aston Martin over the winter and recent months.”
“The FIA brought it to our attention earlier this week, which raises alarm bells. What [the staff who have gone to Aston Martin] take in their head is fair game, that’s their knowledge.”
“What is unacceptable is if there has been any transfer of IP at all.”
Marko, who oversees Red Bull’s young driver programme and attends race weekends, claims that evidence reveals Aston Martin’s designs was influenced by staff members switching between the teams obtaining confidential Red Bull data.
Former aerodynamics chief Dan Fallows has joined Aston Martin, whose billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll has gone on a spending binge in an attempt to propel the team up the grid order.
“Now you have to clarify how this incredible copy came about,” Marko said. “As things stand, it’s okay. Copying isn’t forbidden. But you also have to take into account that seven people were poached from us and that our chief aerodynamicist was brought to Aston Martin for a disproportionate amount of money.”
“There are also some facts that we are investigating. We will investigate this in great detail. It’s not just Dan Fallows.”
“There is evidence that data has been downloaded. It’s just the question: copying is probably not prohibited to begin with, but can you copy without documents in such a way that you can get such a detailed copy of our car?”
