2022 Formula 1 Thread

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FIA clears Aston Martin over Red Bull F1 car design similarities after investigation

The FIA has cleared Aston Martin after carrying out an investigation into the similarities between its updated Formula 1 car and Red Bull’s car ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.
Luke Smith
By:
Luke Smith
May 20, 2022, 2:25 PM
FIA clears Aston Martin over Red Bull F1 car design similarities after investigation

Aston Martin debuted a number of upgrades for its AMR22 F1 car on Friday in opening practice for the Spanish Grand Prix, including changes to its sidepod, floor, halo and rear wing.

But the similarities between the updated Aston Martin and Red Bull’s RB18 car were quickly noted, leading to the design being dubbed a ‘green Red Bull’.

It is not the first time the Silverstone-based team has seen similarities be drawn between its car and another design. In 2020, the Racing Point car was known as a ‘pink Mercedes’ after being based off the 2019 title-winning car.

The FIA clamped down on reverse engineering car designs in the wake of the pink Mercedes case, and revealed in Barcelona on Friday that it did look into the updated Aston Martin car.

F1’s governing body said that during a “routine pre-event legality check” of the planned Aston Martin updates, “it became apparent that a number of features on the Aston Martin resembled those of another Competitor”.

This led to an investigation of the car to confirm compliance with Article 17.3 of the technical regulations, relating to reverse engineering and "potential illicit IP transfer”.

Through the investigation, the FIA found that Aston Martin had complied with the regulations through its process, making the new updates legal.