Aston Martin arrived at the Spanish GP with huge upgrades, but many believed that their car looked similar to the RB-18. After the race in Barcelona, Red Bull has also been very vocal in its discontent with the Aston Martin design.
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However, the FIA cleared the British team of any wrongdoing. Despite the statement from FIA, the Milton-Keynes outfit conducted an internal investigation to check whether there was any transfer of intellectual property or important data.
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And now the investigation is completed. Red Bull believes that there was no leak or transfer of any data and will no longer pursue the investigation. Ahead of the Azerbaijan GP, Helmut Marko revealed his thoughts on the team’s decision.
Red Bull will no longer investigate Aston Martin
In recent months, there has been a large turnover of personnel within Aston Martin. The British team has been hiring important employees through the paddock, including Red Bull’s former Head of Aerodynamics Dan Fallows. So, naturally, doubts crept in, and as a result, they conducted the investigation.
Formula One F1 – Spanish Grand Prix – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain – May 20, 2022 Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in action during practice REUTERS/Albert Gea
Following this news, Helmut Marko has now confirmed that they found no irregularities. Quoted by RTL, following an interview with Motorsport-Total.com, Marko said, “The current state of affairs is that we can’t prove anything specifically, We’re not pursuing it because we don’t see Aston Martin as a direct competitor for us. If you can’t prove it in black and white, you shouldn’t.”
Before the internal investigation, Aston Martin proved to the FIA that their work on the car’s aerodynamics started back in 2021. As a result, the FIA found no foul play, but Red Bull carried on with their investigation.
Helmut Marko reflects on the data being downloaded
As Red Bull carried on with their internal inquiry, Marko was keen to point out that the data within the Red Bull camp has been downloaded elsewhere. However, now the Austrian has believed it could even be used by their sister team, AlphaTauri.
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Aston Martin showed up to Barcelona with a new car that looks very similar to Red Bull’s, so the entire Red Bull pit wall brought out green cans of Red Bull today 
pic.twitter.com/q5dviAEIZf
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) May 20, 2022
“I said data had been downloaded. But I didn’t say where it went. We would like clarity from the FIA on how far you can go. Because we have a sister team, AlphaTauri, and if you interpret that consistently, the AlphaTauri should be more like the Red Bull,” he added.
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DIVE DEEPER
Nevertheless, the saga ends here. As Formula 1 moves to Baku, Red Bull will look to maintain their form. At the same time, Aston Martin will hope for better results and a source of inspiration. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.
