But while its senior executives were upset about a situation they believed was unfair, its tech staff were focused on trying to get themselves out of the hole it was in.
A number of small updates that came early in the season helped turn things around. After scoring just five points in the first four races, he scored 39 in the next four races.
And although it didn’t contribute to its record at the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend, the team at the Red Bull Ring made its mark with perhaps the biggest update we’ve seen of a team on the grid so far.
Aston Martin AMR21 front wing comparison
Photo by: Uncredited
The changes start at the very front of the car, with a small but useful change to the top flap of the front wing. While most of the flap has remained unchanged, the tip area now has a distinctive curvature that changes the path of the airflow downstream (red arrow).
The revised bargeboard cluster changes are the linchpin of the revision as the changes will undoubtedly affect the incoming flow structures while increasing the performance of the new components that are subsequently installed in the car.
Aston Martin AMR21 Bargeboards Cluster Comparison
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
As we can see in comparison here, there were only enough parts available on the track to install in a car, with Lance Stroll being preferred, although the team had previously stated that the updates would be in order of championship.
Changes include a more pronounced lower boomerang winglet (green arrow), additional slots in the main vertical element to create a feather-like surface (blue arrow), while the ax head section of the floor now also rises to create an undulating section of the floor behind (Red Arrow).
Aston Martin AMR21 new fins
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The team also added two vortex generators on top of the sidepod wing to force airflow past the shoulder of the sidepod, which already has an imposing fin that protrudes at a 45-degree angle.
Aston Martin AMR21 floor comparison
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The floor also received attention, with additions, deletions, and changes being made to improve overall performance.
In addition to the sidepod, the team added an additional fin (highlighted in green), increasing the number from three to four. But where previously there were two groups of crescent-shaped fins mounted around the bottom cutout, it decided to remove one set entirely (highlighted in red).
Aston Martin AMR21 floor detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Aston Martin also paid close attention to the area immediately in front of the rear tire, with the large winglet group sitting on the edge of the floor and getting a more tortuous transition instead of the previous (inset).
Aston Martin AMR21 diffuser comparison
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The team also made some fine adjustments to the outer corner of the diffuser, rounding the shape of the Gurney-like flaps that surround the main diffuser body (highlighted in green).
The top slot has also been shortened and, as a result of the renovations, the metal stiffeners have also been moved (highlighted in yellow).
Rewind the race
Aston Martin Racing AMR21 new halo fins
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The series of updates that came to the Austrian Grand Prix came after a series of steps early in the campaign.
The team had a decent upgrade package for the Portuguese Grand Prix and made some minor changes to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as well.
The changes introduced for Baku affected the airflow around the cockpit, using a serrated set of wing mirror rods similar to Mercedes’ while ditching the boomerang winglet on the halo in favor of a pair of small fins on either side of the halo.
