Red Bull is dissatisfied with Aston Martin’s new upgrade package for the Spanish Grand Prix, but why is Dan Fallows key to the story and what is his salary
Who is he, and what is his connection to Aston Martin and Red Bull?
Following a sluggish start to the 2022 season, Aston Martin has introduced the first major improvement to the AMR22 for the Spanish Grand Prix. With drivers Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll, the team hopes to become a consistent points scorer with the altered sidepods and floor.
The updated AMR22, on the other hand, bears a strong similarity to Red Bull’s RB18, which has won three of the five races before the Spanish Grand Prix.
Who Is Technical Director Dan Fallows The Main Man In The Aston Martin-Red Bull Car Copy Saga Ahead Of The Spanish Grand Prix 2022, His Salary
Despite the FIA clearing Aston Martin of stealing the concept, which was in development as early as November 2021, Red Bull wants the governing body to go into it further.
Dan Fallows is a key character in the plot. But who is he, and how is he connected to both teams?
IN ASTON MARTIN AND THE RED BULL SAGA, WHO IS DAN FALLOWS?
Dan Fallows joined as Aston Martin’s technical director last month.
Fallows, a long-time Red Bull employee, was a major member of the aerodynamics unit that led the team to four successive title doubles with Vettel between 2010 and 2013.
He was Red Bull’s squad leader and head engineer until the possibility of becoming a technical director in his own right enticed him to Aston Martin – the agreement was confirmed in June 2021.
Fallows was never going to remain Red Bull’s technical director as long as Adrian Newey was still alive, and Red Bull gave Dan Fallows permission to start working at Aston Martin in April when the teams reached an agreement on his notice term.
When technical figures change teams, notice periods/gardening leave are typical. The team losing the individual wants to ensure that its intellectual property and other sensitive information do not leave with the person.
Whilst his contract stipulated a six-month gardening leave period, which would expire ahead of the new season, Red Bull claimed his contract actually stipulated a six-month period which can only be triggered at the conclusion of his contract, which ended on December 31st, 2022.
However, despite Red Bull going to court over the matter, both the sides managed to reach an agreement to see Fallows join Aston Martin in April of 2022. His salary with the side is not known but his net worth is said to stand at $1 million.
COPYING F1 DESIGNS IS NOT PROHIBITED
Red Bull has stated that any transfer of its intellectual property would be a “major issue.” However, teams have been pulling inspiration from other designs – generally the quickest – for years, so imitating another car is not prohibited in F1.
What is prohibited is the so-called reverse engineering of components or a whole design, in which a team utilises software and pictures to make an exact replica of another automobile.
After Aston’s predecessor, Racing Point, imitated the 2019 Mercedes design for its 2020 design, this prohibition was strengthened. Racing Point was fined £400,000 and was docked 15 constructors’ championship points.
What the FIA cannot stop is the knowledge someone has in their brain when switching teams – Fallows, 48, has been in motorsport/F1 since the late 1990s, including spells at Lola, Dallara, and Jaguar until Red Bull purchased Jaguar when Ford sold up in 2005.
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