22/05/2023
NEWS STORY
Aston Martin technical director, Dan Fallows does not go along with the claim that, despite the rules overhaul, overtaking remains almost impossible.
While there were clear improvements last season, many believe that the subsequent tweaks to the rules, not least the raising of the floor edges, has seen a return to the situation whereby drivers are able to close in on their prey but the dirty air makes it difficult to overtake.
Fallows, who was poached from Red Bull by Aston Martin, does not agree with the claims.
"I've heard the conversations going on, but I haven't seen any data so far that sort of says that it's harder to overtake," he said.
"The drivers have their own opinions," he continued, "and I think we've seen people running the cars in slightly different specifications from each other, which does clearly make a difference. We are a few races in now, but it might even be a bit early to tell that as well."
While most agree that Baku was processional, this was surely more about the circuit, as is so often the case with street tracks, on the other hand we have seen at a number of races this year that if a driver is determined to make a pass, he will.
"There have been conversations about Baku, but I think we've seen in previous races, there's been opportunities for overtaking," said Fallows.
"There are definitely circuit dependent characteristics, so Monaco is an extreme example, but we know that there are circuits where we have to get the maximum amount out of the car in qualifying because there is a limited opportunity to overtake in the race.
"That is going to carry on for all the circuits this year, there will always be some which are easier to overtake and some which aren't."