If there are so many hopes placed in the future in the short/medium term of Aston Martin is, in addition to its important investment, for the signings of personnel they have made for their team. Figures that have triumphed in other places in Formula 1 and that will try to do the same in the British team. One of them is Eric Blandin, the assistant technical director, that is to say, Dan Fallows’ right-hand man (technical director) with whom he meets again after meeting at Red Bull, although Blandin’s greatest successes came at Mercedes (as head of aerodynamics).
The British engineer also spent 14 months at Ferrari from 2010 to 2011, which coincided with alonso in Maranello and he knows well what he will bring to those from Silverstone: “The signing of Fernando is huge for the team. He will push us a lot and help us get to the next level. He is an exceptional pilot. There aren’t many drivers of his caliber on the grid, you can count them on one hand. He is passionate and extremely motivated. After everything he’s achieved, he still has that relentless hunger to win.”
Both have already started working together again in the Abu Dhabi test in which the two-time champion made his debut with an Aston Martin and Blandin points out what others have already pointed out, that his “feedback is extremely accurate”. “He clearly communicated what he wants from the car and identified some things that we have been able to include in the design of the AMR23. In 2022, Fernando drove a car quite different from ours and more competitive, he was able to compare the two and say: ‘This is better, this is worse and this is what you have to focus on’. Check out the team’s website.
Blandin, sees the Asturian forming a “very strong” couple with Stroll, in fact, She considers that she may be “the best on the grid” because “she will push Lance, they will complement each other and she will get the best out of him.” The key will be to have a “competitive car”: “It depends on us, it won’t do much good if we don’t give them a fast car. We need to surrender.” In the Bahrain tests (from February 23 to 25) we will get a first idea of the AMR23 that will be presented on the 13th with all of the law: “It will be the real car, the real one, we will not disappoint the fans.”
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An Aston Martin with “over 90%” new parts
To begin with, what Blandin tells is promising because “much of the AMR23 is new, completely different from the AMR22″ who finished seventh in the World Cup. “We took everything we learned from last year’s car and applied it to this one. We have changed more than 90% of the parts and more than 95% of the aerodynamic surfaces are different.” assures the Englishman, who for now is fleeing from forecasts: “We want to take a big step forward, but how many will the others take? We don’t know, although we have a good team”.
After having won so much with Mercedes, he accepts this challenge because he wants “this team to succeed” and he sees him with options: “I joined Aston Martin because I think they are one of the few teams that can be in the front group of the grid. and I will do everything I can to help achieve that goal.” The new factory, which should have an operational part already this year, will help this because “it will be exceptional and it will unlock performance”: “It is a game changer.” Just what they need.