Aston Martin expect Fallows to start before 2022 F1 season

The Silverstone-based outfit announced the signing of Red Bull’s head of aerodynamics in June, though Red Bull made it clear Fallows would not depart Milton Keynes until the end of his current contract in 2023. 

Aston Martin CEO Otmar Szafnauer said the team is “still negotiating on Dan’s start date” but confirmed the plan is to bring Fallows in by the start of next season. 

"Our aim is to to get him to start ASAP and sometime in the first quarter of next year,” Szafnauer added. 

“So if it's the start of next season, that is in the first quarter of next year. So hopefully, in that timeframe, we'll be able to have him start.”

Aston Martin is also set to be bolstered by the early arrival of its new engineering director Luca Furbatto from Alfa Romeo. 

"Luca will be with us within weeks,” Szafnauer said. "Just like everybody, they’ve got their notice periods to, to work out and all those. So within weeks, Luca will be free to start with us.”

Szafnauer insists Aston Martin’s recruitment drive will put the Silverstone outfit on track to achieve its goals of becoming a title contender in the coming years. 

"Things haven't slowed down in the recruitment,” Szafnauer explained. “But unless they're very senior, we don't we don't announce everybody. We've hired over 150 people this year, and we will continue to hire.

“If we want to win a world championship in four years’ time it does take human resource, infrastructure, factory, wind tunnel, just like the top teams, and we're on that trajectory to do that.” 

Aston Martin, which currently occupies a distant seventh-place in the 2021 constructors’ championship, is hoping to capitalise on the 2022 regulation overhaul to move closer to the front of the grid. 

Szafnauer said the team is satisfied with the early signs of progress they are making with their new car for next year. 

“It’s really, really hard to tell because you don’t know what the other teams have found and they’re very guarded secrets,” he said.

“What I can say is we set ourselves aggressive but achievable targets and we’re on track to meet those aggressive, achievable targets. We’re still finding good gains every week.