Dan Fallows: We have to find our way, the Aston Martin way

Aston Martin CTO Dan Fallows on leaving Red Bull Racing, partnership with Adrian Newey and the similarities between Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen…

Q: Dan, what do you think of the Aston Martin F1? Did something surprise you?
Dan FallowsA: I’ve only been on the team for a few months. So far good. The most amazing thing is the fantastic atmosphere of a real racing team, where everyone supports each other.

When a team grows significantly in size in a short period of time, it can become too large – there is a risk that communication between departments will deteriorate. But in this team, all communication works fine. It’s important to make sure it stays that way.

I am impressed by the high level of Aston Martin F1 specialists. The technical department is staffed by talented creative people who come up with great ideas.

Previously there was a bit of a lack of a common vision of the goal – and I hope this helps. From the early stages of car design, you need to understand what results you want to achieve on the track.

Q: After you decided to join Aston Martin, you left one of the most successful teams in Formula 1 history, although you took part in its founding and subsequent success. What is the reason?
Dan Fallows: I wanted to take on a new challenge. The most rewarding moments in my career were when I faced a new problem in front of myself and was able to solve it.

It’s not just a challenge, it’s an opportunity to be part of the transition from a relatively modest project to something much bigger. Everyone at Aston Martin, starting with owner Lawrence Stroll, has the most ambitious plans.

It is very interesting to participate in a project with such ambitions and perspectives. It’s incredibly amazing when you feel complete confidence, when you’re told, “Here’s a Formula 1 team, change everything you want in it, hire the right people, manage, but make it successful.”

I took this offer because I felt that success can be achieved in a different way, without repeating the approach of Red Bull, Mercedes or Ferrari. We will invent the Aston Martin way.

Q: Do you see any similarities between the early seasons of Red Bull and Aston Martin?
Dan Fallows: One of the most interesting moments was connected with the transition from Jaguar to Red Bull, when a small team with a very limited budget had significantly more resources – financially and technically. It was very interesting to see, as a participant in this process, how the team grew, made mistakes and learned from them. What is happening in Aston Martin F1 now is very similar to what happened in Red Bull then.

Q: What has your experience with Adrian Newey taught you?
Dan Fallows: A lot. Everyone knows how talented a designer is, but those who haven’t worked with him have no idea how humble he is. He has never had the arrogance to work with other engineers and is willing to give up his ideas and listen to other people’s opinions if he can achieve more by doing so. That’s the most important thing I learned from Adrian.

Q: You left Red Bull last June and were given nine months of compulsory leave. How did you spend this time?
Dan Fallows: I used it to reflect eight years as head of aerodynamics at Red Bull Racing, mistakes and successes, what decisions worked and what didn’t. I understood how I had to be seen as a technical director, what kind of people I would like to invite, how everything had to be arranged. And by the time I got to Aston Martin, I had dealt with these issues in myself.

Q: What mistake do you consider the most serious of your career?
Dan Fallows: I’ve given people too much power in the past. On the one hand, that’s good, but on the other hand, people sometimes didn’t feel well supported by too much freedom.

The authority must be sufficient so that employees are not afraid to make mistakes and draw the necessary conclusions, but do not get completely out of hand. I’ve learned that small interventions at the right time can keep them from straying too far from the right path.

Q: In July, your former Red Bull colleague Eric Blandin joined Aston Martin in the role of deputy technical director. Are you excited about the opportunity to gather people you know?
Dan Fallows: I am very happy to be working with Eric again. We understand each other perfectly, as well as the Operational Technical Director Andrew Alessi – I also worked with him at Red Bull.

Eric has a different experience, he worked in Ferrari and Mercedes, so at the beginning I wasn’t sure if our opinions would match on certain technical points, but in the end a lot of things came together. He also believes that you should not copy the approach of Mercedes or Red Bull, you should find your own way – even better.

Q: This year the technical regulations have changed a lot, but in the winter you were on a mandatory holiday and you didn’t work with cars. What did you think when you saw the new cars at the presentations?
Dan Fallows: It’s not easy to see new cars without understanding why the teams chose one way or another. Of course, I had assumptions that allowed me to judge why some machines are faster and others are slower. It is not necessary to see the results of measurements in a wind tunnel to form an opinion.

Question: Have you been able to estimate the competitive position of the AMR22 this season in advance?
Dan Fallows: The first time I saw AMR22 I realized that the team has taken a very different approach than in Red Bull.

I worked with the Red Bull RB18 at an early stage of the design. We came up with about half the aerodynamic body kit when I left the team – and I understand why they have been successful.

This does not mean that when I saw the AMR22 I immediately realized that the car would not be fast. But I understood that it would be extremely difficult for us to achieve the same efficiency as Red Bull.

In fact, when I joined the team, the team had already decided to switch to an alternative concept.

Q: When Aston Martin did a major overhaul of the car in Barcelona, ​​everyone compared the new version of the car to Red Bull and said it is your influence. Were you involved in this update?
Dan Fallows: Not. These novelties were developed before I came. But I understand why the team switched to this concept. This year’s car was developed in two versions from the start and when the team felt that one approach was not right, they switched to the other.

Q: Will we see the innovative rear wing that debuted on your car this year in Hungary?
Dan Fallows: The track in Singapore has similar characteristics, probably we will reinstall this version of the wing there.

Q: This wing has attracted general attention. Did you participate in its creation?
Dan FallowsA: Yes, I led this development, which is a great example of the strength and depth of the team’s engineering department. Aston Martin F1 engineers are very creative – examples of this can be seen in the design of various components.

Q: When and where do you get new ideas?
Dan Fallows: At three in the morning. My wife is sometimes surprised when I wake up in the middle of the night with a new idea. It looks weird, like your brain keeps thinking about different options while you sleep. Sometimes these insights don’t work, but sometimes I wake up thinking I should try it.

Everyone’s brain works differently. Ideas come to me at night, to someone on a morning run or walk, but they always become the result of many hours of searching for a solution to a specific problem.

We’re currently investigating how best to organize the space in our new base, because new ideas don’t come to you when you’re staring at a screen all day.

Question Tell us about the new products the team has prepared for Singapore. Are these the last updates for this season?
Dan Fallows: We have prepared several solutions that can reduce the weight and increase the aerodynamic efficiency of the machine. At the same time, we are testing ideas for next year and taking the opportunity to test them on the track.

Even if you fully trust the wind tunnel and CFD computers, you are still looking for confirmation on the real track, are you interested in the evaluation of the riders – it is important to trust that next year we will be right on the right track. go direction.

Q: Do you hope the new Aston Martin car will be more competitive?
Dan Fallows: We are confident that we will take a big step forward with the AMR23.

I see a change for the better in absolutely every aspect of the car. Hundreds of new parts are being worked on in parallel. In the aerodynamics department, in the design office – everywhere our specialists are looking for an opportunity to add – reduce weight, increase stiffness, improve handling – all this should make the car faster.

Q: If the car doesn’t go next year, Fernando Alonso is unlikely to hide criticism of the team…
Dan Fallows: We know Fernando is always open about problems with the machine, but this is not new to us. Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll also say everything they think about the car and give us quality feedback.

Q: Does the new AMR23 suit Alonso’s driving style?
Dan Fallows: I don’t know him very well, but I trust other experts when they talk about his style. He likes to drive on instinct, with a precise feel for the car, which allows him to attack constantly at the limit. Of course you have to make the car predictable and stable – these qualities are necessary for every racer.

Max Verstappen has a similar style, he also likes to drive on the limit of the car all the time and for that he has to be predictable and stable. In this they are very similar to Fernando.

Q: How long will it take for Aston Martin to fight for leadership in Formula 1?
Dan Fallows: In this respect we are incredibly ambitious, but there is a big difference between the leaders of the mid-group of teams and the leaders of Formula 1 – it can be years, not months.

We have to be realistic when we talk about expectations for the coming years. We all know what we need to do to get to the top, but it will take time. We have to find our way to success in Formula 1 – the Aston Martin way.