In fact, even F1’s leading team itself joined in the fun when its motorsport director Helmut Marko joked earlier this year that it would be nice to see “three Red Bulls” on the podium.

While such comments are easy to make, and are sure to be fueled by Dan Fallows, the team’s technical director who previously worked at Red Bull, the reality of the Aston Martin AMR23 suggests it’s far from a clone.

Yes, Silverstone has floated the idea of ​​copying cars in the past – most notably the Pink Mercedes winning a race in 2020 as Racing Point – but its current challenger isn’t one of them.

Plus: Why Red Bull clone criticism of Aston’s F1 challenger is invalid

Of course, Aston Martin’s 2022 Challenger did end up leaning towards the design philosophy found on the Red Bull RB18 after the team dropped its launch idea.

For this season, however, it has been significantly changed and a different developmental route has been added to it.

An important thing to remember is that the current regulations in F1 are very strict and only allow a certain degree of design freedom anyway. This results in all cars having a very similar general design layout overall.

This is also why our attention is drawn to big-ticket items such as sidepods and bonnets, as these areas now have the greatest design freedom.

But let’s take a look at the details and see how the AMR23 differs from the Red Bull cars.

Red Bull’s own RB19 is nearly identical to its predecessor when it comes to sidepod design.

However, Aston Martin has significantly improved its concept this year and has gone the route of the A522, which Alpine first took, by extending a tunnel along the length of the side pods.

The AMR23’s “slidepod” design is more aggressive than the Alpine’s, though, with slopes dug deeper into the bodywork to define the channel for airflow to the rear of the car.

And, while other teams may also wish to venture down this branch of the development tree, their designs will inevitably create their own branches.

It’s also a given, as each team will have to make adjustments to fit the powerplant and its ancillary packaging, and try to reap the aerodynamic benefits on offer.

Fortunately, if any other team wanted to investigate the merits of the concept, they could do so, knowing that the AMR23’s body was not shrink-wrapped to the interior components as previously specified.

There are hollow interior sections used to create features that improve the exterior flow around the car. That is, the slide inside the downwash slope was born from the old method.

One of the similarities between Red Bull and Aston Martin is that they both use a high-slung bonnet solution.

Once again, however, Aston Martin continues to develop the concept, as the AMR23 employs a similar solution to the sidepods, with the center section scooped out to help improve the behavior of the airflow as it travels to the rear of the car.

The sidepods and hood already make it pretty obvious that the RB19 and AMR23 are not similar, but there are many other important differences between the two.

First, and most obviously, is the inner DNA of the two challengers. Red Bull has its own Honda-based powertrain, while Aston Martin buys its power unit, gearbox and rear suspension from Mercedes.

This limited Aston Martin in many ways, as it effectively locked into the design decisions made by the ‘factory’ Mercedes team, the rear suspension layout including the tie rod arrangement, which was the factory team’s given direction.

Meanwhile, Red Bull switched to putters in 2022 and has continued down that path this season, which has resulted in a different packaging approach for the inboard components.

These elements are mounted on top of the gearbox housing, allowing more freedom in the shape used in the lower half of the housing. This also allows designers to express their ideas more freely with the floor and diffusers.

The opposite is true for the Aston Martin, as its inboard components fit inside the shell, reducing their design scope in the critical transition zone where the underfloor tunnel meets the diffuser.

That being said, it does have some weight distribution benefits, with cleaner routing of the exhaust ducts and the ability to move some cooling elements to a more central location.

The front of the car has a similar story. Aston Martin is free to make its own decisions here, as it doesn’t buy hardware from Mercedes, it keeps a more traditional pushrod layout, while Red Bull switches to a tierod layout.

Again, this is a lesson for the horses, but these are usually aerodynamically driven decisions as teams look for ways to improve the passage of airflow from one area of ​​the car to another.

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In many ways, the suspension arm is a liability in this regard. Designers have used suspension fairings wherever possible to alter the trajectory of the airflow blowing off the front wings and nose, and to improve airflow to the sidepods, floor, floor rails and underfloor.

In Red Bull’s case, it opted for a very extreme solution for 2022, mounting the front single arm of the upper wishbone as high as possible on the chassis.

The trailing arms are mounted low not only to help direct the airflow to the intended target, but also as a means to help achieve a more aggressive anti-dive geometry.

Red Bull RB18 and RB19 wheelbase comparison

photographer: George Piola

Notably, Red Bull has also made changes to the suspension layout for 2023, as the RB19 has a slightly longer wheelbase.

Not only does this have an effect on the aforementioned behavior, with the front single arm of the upper wishbone sweeping back, it also changes the position of the wheel assembly relative to the front wing, floor and sidepods.

This has an effect on the aerodynamic wake created by the front wheels and tires, which are constantly changing given the vertical displacement of the chassis and the steering angle, meaning the tire positions are never the same.

Moving the front axle forward tilts the balance slightly in this regard to reduce the effect of tire wake. It should also produce a more stable platform under braking and acceleration, reducing the center of pressure excursion and providing a more predictable ride-height window.

This can both help reduce the chances of dolphins and allow designers to be more aggressive with floors and diffusers.

Of course, we also have to remember that the tires were changed this year to reduce what many drivers perceive as chronic understeer, a change that Red Bull has in mind.

Aston Martin AMR23 rear wing detail

photographer: George Piola

There are also stark differences in the approaches of Red Bull and Aston Martin when it comes to flank selection. Red Bull appears to be able to run with less wing than any other team, let alone Aston Martin.

Not only does this mean it has more downforce, balancing the car accordingly on each track, but it also means it will be faster in speed traps because it carries less drag.

Additionally, this has huge benefits in terms of DRS boost – an area where Red Bull currently has a huge advantage.