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Formula 1 in Barcelona: Excitement about the green bull – sport

When the sun said goodbye on Friday and the heat of the day could still be felt on the grounds of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, calm returned to the paddock. Where hundreds of people ran back and forth during the day, in the evening the scenery was reduced to individuals who kept appearing between the motorhomes. These high-gloss polished headquarters of the racing teams, which lined up closely together.

Those responsible for Formula 1 have now also acquired a two-story retreat, in black and with the prominently displayed F1 logo in bright red. A representative of Formula 1 and press officers from Red Bull and Aston Martin were sitting on a terrace of this motor home on Friday evening. And what could have looked like a casual after-work chat was clearly not exactly that. Also because the accusation of a pirated copy was in the room.

The Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday (3 p.m., Sky) is the sixth race of the season this year and traditionally the place where the teams apply a number of upgrades after the experience of the first rounds. Testing takes place in Catalonia in winter, so the 4.675-kilometre circuit is the ideal reference for comparing the car’s performance. Also because it is considered an all-round track with its long straights and a mixture of fast and slow corners. How well corrections to the original version of a car work can be compared here and also how promising they are on other routes. When the cars were presented on Friday and then raced over the asphalt during the training sessions, one model in particular caused a stir: the AMR22 from Aston Martin.

Red Bull Motorsport Director Marko speaks of “evidence that data has been downloaded”

The team of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel had not only adjusted small things. The hopping of the cars caused by the changes to the regulations introduced in 2022 caused Aston Martin particular problems. Instead of driving solidly in midfield, it means: penultimate, only Williams is worse. The engineers urgently needed to find solutions to the failed concept. The sidepods in particular have been significantly changed. The shape has changed, as has the type and positioning of the cooling fins, as well as the exterior mirrors and other areas of the car. The complete conversion is similar to the concept of one competitor in particular – so that in the paddock, according to the paintwork, the “green Red Bull” was soon the talk of the town.

Formula 1 in Barcelona: heavily modified company car: The Aston Martin drivers Sebastian Vettel (left) and Lance Stroll will be driving a heavily modified AMR22 from the Barcelona race weekend.

Heavily modified company car: Aston Martin drivers Sebastian Vettel (left) and Lance Stroll will be driving a heavily modified AMR22 from the Barcelona race weekend.

(Foto: Zak Mauger/Motorsport Images/Imago)

Red Bull Motorsport Director Helmut Marko expressed a suspicion on Friday. “You now have to clarify how this incredible copy came about,” said the Austrian on Sky, emphasizing that “seven people were recruited from us and that our chief aerodynamicist was drawn to Aston Martin for a disproportionately high fee.” There is also “evidence that data was downloaded”. So Marko indicated that those employees who had changed may have taken ideas and concepts with them when they moved. Copying or being inspired is not entirely forbidden in Formula 1, but in this form it would be illegal: the theft or transfer of knowledge and the exchange of data between teams is prohibited according to Article 17.3 of the Technical Regulations. So a scandal?

“All I can say is that we have never received any data from anyone,” said Aston Martin Chief Technology Officer Andrew Green

The Fia must be informed in advance about planned upgrades. The world governing body knew which team wanted to make which changes – and based on the striking similarities before the trip to Barcelona, ​​they investigated whether there could have been a border crossing at Aston Martin. On Friday afternoon, the Fia announced that no rules were violated during development. So not a copy of the RB18. The specialist magazine Auto, motor and sport quotes an Aston Martin engineer: “We were able to show the Fia CAD data and photos from our wind tunnel model last autumn and prove that we didn’t copy anything.” The racing team also defends itself by having planned with two concepts from the outset, then initially opting for one and then for the other variant due to the lack of success.

“All I can say is that at no time have we received any data from any team or anyone else,” said Andrew Green, Technical Director at Aston Martin.

(Photo: Xavi Bonilla/PanoramiC/Imago)

However, a certain distrust still lingered on Saturday and was also an issue in the team representatives’ press conference. “I was surprised, quite surprised, to see a copy,” said Red Bulls technical director Pierre Waché. “We now have to check whether we didn’t have an IP leak. We want to be sure of that and we’re investigating that.” From a personal and engineering point of view, it was satisfying that the copy confirmed the quality of one’s concept. A journalist asked: On the one hand, how credible is it that someone could replicate a car on such a large scale in such a short time? Or, on the other hand, that one team comes up with a design that is so similar to another’s all by itself?

“All I can say is that at no time have we received any data from any team or anyone else,” Aston Martin technical director Andrew Green said. “This car was conceived in the middle of last year. The majority of the parts were commissioned before anyone from Red Bull started here. The accusations are far-fetched.” He himself was shocked and surprised when he noticed the similarity of the concepts and disappointed by the allegations. The Fia thoroughly examined all the data, interviewed all the people involved – and came to their conclusion. That was the end of it for him.

Not quite for Red Bull. Marko said: “We will look into the matter in detail” and added in an interview with ORF: “It’s about the integrity of the sport. This is the second copy from this team. It’s time for clarification. ” He addressed the aspect that makes the case even more piquant: Before the takeover by Aston Martin, the team was called Racing Point. And in 2020 it was already noticed that it had strongly imitated the Mercedes of the previous year. It worked so well that Sergio Perez won the Sachir Grand Prix. At that time there was talk of the “pink Mercedes” – and the Fia sanctioned the design with a point deduction and a fine.

In any case, the new version of the AMR22 did not immediately show the desired effect in Barcelona. Lance Stroll was eighteenth in qualifying, Sebastian Vettel will start from 16th on Sunday. When the 34-year-old heard about it over the radio, he just said: “You must be joking!”

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