Earlier this month, Aston Martin announced Fallows would step away from his role as technical director of the Formula 1 team but remain within the organisation.
It was a move that followed a less-than-stellar campaign for the Silverstone-based operation, with rumours about an impending change swirling in the weeks beforehand.
Last year, Aston Martin finished fifth in the constructors’ championship with six podiums in the opening eight races of the year
While the squad has held on to fifth this season, it has slipped back from the leading four teams – all of whom have won races – with a best finish of fifth in Saudi Arabia.
“The performance of the team this year hasn’t been at the level that we’ve all been wanting it to be at,” admitted Tom McCullough, Aston Martin’s performance director.
“So we haven’t quite, I suppose, delivered there, and that’s basically been a decision made by the team.
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“I sat next to Dan for the last two or three years since he’s been here, and working closely with him,” McCullough added.
“He had a really big impact on the development of the ‘22 car, and the ‘23 car.
“He’s brought a lot to the team, to be honest, so from that side, it’s been good fun working with him.
“But ultimately, during ’24, we haven’t delivered on track to the level that we were expecting to and wanted to.
“The development of these cars has been hard, and, yeah, ultimately, it’s a performance-based industry, and the team’s made the decision to make some changes.”
Fallows joined Aston Martin in 2022 as a high-profile signing from Red Bull Racing, where he’s been head of aerodynamics under Adrian Newey.
He was an early indication of the team’s grand plans to become a force in Formula 1 following significant investment its new owners, headed by Lawrence Stroll.
The team has invested heavily in new facilities with an expansive new factory, while work on a state-of-the-art wind tunnel is in its final stages.
In September, Aston Martin announced Adrian Newey will join the team in early 2025 as part-owner.
Until then, Bob Bell, who only arrived at Aston Martin in March, remains at the helm of the squad’s technical team.
“Overall, Bob’s been overseeing technical functions,” McCullough explained.
“We have strength in depth, really, within the team, so [Fallows’] roles have been shared.
“We have Eric [Blandin] on the aero side, taking on quite a lot of the roles at this stage, but ultimately, Bob’s the one responsible.”
McCullough also moved to play down suggestions the arrival of Newey had played a part in Fallows’ exit.
“Ultimately, this decision’s been made by the team prior to that.”
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