Dan Fallows confident Aston Martin AMR23 will be a ‘big step forward’

Dan Fallows says Aston Martin have “literally hundreds of projects on the go” to make next year’s car a big improvement on the disappointing AMR22.

Aston Martin are on a downward trend from the heady Racing Point days of 2020 when they finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship – and it would have been third but for a points penalty issued to them.

Seventh last season has turned into ninth this term with six races remaining, although that position may yet be improved upon because Aston Martin are now keeping their points total ticking over more regularly than Haas and AlphaTauri whom they will be hoping to catch.

But at this point, creating a more competitive car for 2023 has to be the main focus – especially with Fernando Alonso coming on board to replace soon-to-retire Sebastian Vettel, and the Spaniard’s demands are sure to be high.

Fallows, the Aston Martin technical director formerly with Red Bull, only arrived at the Silverstone-based team when this campaign was well under way and the AMR23 will be their first into which he will have had major influence from the outset.

“We believe it will be much more competitive than this year’s car,” said Fallows. “I’m confident we can make a big step forward with the AMR23.

“When I look around the car, there are areas of improvement absolutely everywhere. I mean, we have literally hundreds of projects on the go right now.

“In the aerodynamics department, in the design office, in R&D, throughout the team people are finding improvements, be it weight improvements, stiffness improvements, improved driver controls, better aerodynamics, a more stable car platform – it’s all going to bring performance to the car.”

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Regarding the input Alonso is likely to bring, Fallows insisted Aston Martin would not be shocked by having a driver expressing themselves about aspects of the car they are unhappy with.

“We know Fernando will be vocal about problems with the car but that shouldn’t be anything new for the team,” said the 48-year-old Briton, who was previously the head of aerodynamics at Red Bull.

“In Sebastian [Vettel] and Lance [Stroll], we’ve had two drivers who are vocal about the car, provide plenty of feedback and tell us when they think things are wrong.

“I don’t know Fernando very well, so my knowledge of his driving style is based on what others have said. He has a reputation for very much driving by feel – he really likes to feel the limits of the car.

“If that’s the case, we need to make sure the platform of the car is predictable, stable, all the things we try to achieve with a car anyway, but it’s absolutely amplified with someone like Fernando.”

Read more: Dan Fallows draws Jaguar-Red Bull comparisons in new Aston Martin role