Mark Hughes on the new Aston Martin AMR23

When the Aston Martin team presented their new car yesterday, everyone could be sure that there are quite a few differences from last year’s model, and they are quite noticeable. Mark Hughes, technical expert from the championship’s official site, drew attention to some of them.

The AMR23, Aston Martin’s new car, was a clear confirmation of the change in the team’s technical direction, as Dan Fallows was involved in its creation from the very beginning, while Andy Green, who previously held the position of technical director moved to Aston. Martin Performance Technologies, and this division is responsible for directing, not directly related to Formula 1.

Under Fallows’ leadership, the team went very aggressively to improve on last year’s performance. The new car differs from the previous one not only in terms of aerodynamics, but also the chassis has been completely revised. This was done mainly to reduce the overall weight of the car and get closer to the legal minimum.

Outwardly, the car is quite similar to last year’s version of the Red Bull RB18, which appeared after the Monza round. The AMR23 has very similarly shaped side pontoons and hood.

Last year, Aston Martin unveiled a heavily redesigned AMR22 at the Spanish Grand Prix, and their car is visually reminiscent of the RB18 that Red Bull Racing started the season with. But halfway through the year, the Silverstone team curtailed its car refinement program, while Red Bull continued to improve its technique.

The RB18 features new distinctively shaped side pontoons that improve aerodynamic efficiency by better shaping the airflow flowing between the car’s rear wheels. This decision by Red Bull has had a strong impact on the approach of other teams, and some interpretation of that can be seen on the machines in 2023. Most reminiscent of him, however, is the new AMR23, especially when viewed in profile .

Already last season the contours of the upgraded AMR22’s hull visually resembled the then version of the RB18, but then the Aston Martin designers did not get the chance to fully follow this concept, they were held back by a certain layout of the cooling system. And attempts to revise it would inevitably entail significant costs and the team’s limited budget would be almost completely exhausted.

The new AMR23 seems to have redone everything that was needed, including the front part of the Venturi tunnels under the bottom of the car has been repositioned. But it is noticeable in all 2023 cars, so teams can be expected to find a better compromise between maximum downforce and stable cornering balance.

The nose of the car has become thinner and flatter than Mercedes’ approach appears. At the same time, the team still prefers a suspension with pushrods at the front and rods at the rear (unlike last year’s choice for Red Bull), but its geometry has been revised. The rear suspension, gearboxes and power plants in Aston Martin are purchased from Mercedes.

Last year the rear suspension didn’t have enough travel, making it difficult for both teams to deal with the cars’ heave problem. It should be assumed that this year the necessary changes were made to the design of the rear suspension, and such difficulties should no longer be.

In general, there is clear optimism in Aston Martin’s mood, the team believes in the efficiency of the new car – time will tell to what extent this will be confirmed by the track results.