Aston Martin deputy technical director Eric Blandin has revealed that the Silverstone-based team have discovered some “small loopholes” in the regulations for their 2023 challenger.
The AMR23 has supposedly had some “clever innovations” implemented into it, something Blandin hails as the “icing on the cake”.
Aston Martin are set for a potentially huge year, with the team having put in an incredible amount of hard work over the winter.
Whilst they finished seventh in the Constructors’ Championship last season, they were one of the most in-form sides come the close of the year, something that bodes well for them going into 2023.
With a new factory nearing completion plus the addition of Fernando Alonso and former Red Bull head of aerodynamics Dan Fallows, 2023 could be the year where Aston Martin challenge the top of the midfield, especially if they’ve mastered the AMR23.
Based on Blandin’s comments, the team’s 2023 challenger is certainly an improvement on the AMR22, with the new car set to be unveiled on February 13.
“We’ve implemented a few clever innovations on the new car – they’re the icing on the cake. They’re a nice-to-have, but not a must-have,” Blandin explained to Aston Martin’s official website.
“It’s great when you find a small loophole and can use it to your advantage, but it’s not often you can base an entire car around it. Instead, it’s essential to get the basics right, and then you can add things.
“When you start a new car project, you identify what your limitations were the previous year – and how you can overcome them with the new design – and you define the architecture that will give you the most potential for the future.
“If you pursue the wrong concept, you can end up boxing yourself in – you run out of road for development – and that’s a very difficult situation to get out of.”
Aston Martin were a side who drastically changed their design early last year, with the side having been dubbed as the ‘green Red Bull’ at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Red Bull are expecting more teams to copy their design philosophy ahead of the upcoming season; however, Blandin believes there will still be a clear difference in the majority of cars.
“It’s wide open,” he said.
“Every team has an opportunity to make significant progress with their new car. We want to make a big step forward with the AMR23.
“But it’s all relative, how much of a step have the others made? We don’t know yet, but I’m confident we have a good package.
“There will still be differences between the cars. There were two very different philosophies in 2022 and I imagine this will still be the case in ’23.”