Aston Martin has recruited a former Red Bull engineer and colleague of Adrian Newey to bolster its ranks at its Formula 1 base at Silverstone.
Giles Wood, who spent seven years at the Milton Keynes-based squad with Newey in various roles, including heading up its simulation analysis, is reuniting with the famed technical guru in a similar capacity.
Wood, who joined the team in 2007, was a key figure in the team’s first step from midfielders to World Champions, with Sebastien Vettel leading the line, taking four straight titles between 2010 and 2013.
Joining Red Bull from McLaren, Wood then had a stint at Red Bull Advanced Technologies before leaving the sport altogether.
The Race has reported that Wood has been signed as “simulation and vehicle modelling director”, having quit F1 to work on autonomous projects for Apple.
Newey has been publicly critical of Aston Martin’s driver in the loop simulator, saying that it is inferior to that of its rivals and therefore a “handicap”.
“I think it is fair to say that some of our tools are weak, particularly the driver in the loop simulator,” he said.
“It needs a lot of work because it’s not correlating at all at the moment, which is a fundamental research tool. Not having that is a limitation.
“But we’ve just got to work around it in the meantime and then sort out a plan to get it to where it needs to be. But that’s probably a two-year project in truth.”
Aston also sign former Mercedes aero chief
Wood’s addition is not the only one that the team has made, having also signed aerodynamic expert Gioacchino Vino.
Vino has an impressive CV, boasting stints at Toyota, Red Bull, before joining Mercedes in 2012. There, he became senior aerodynamicist, then was promoted to the role of chief aerodynamicist.
Vino quit his post in November last year, and is thought to have begun his role with Aston in April.
Team Principal Andy Cowell told The Race of his pleasure at both men’s inclusion to the team, saying: “Giles left F1 for a period of time, worked in California, and is now back looking after our modelling and simulation world.
“When you watch the interaction of those two guys with Adrian and the existing team, the energy and the determination is significantly higher.
“It’s amazing how key hires like Adrian, but also the other individuals, just helps everything.
“It helps lift everybody. I’m not so sure it’s the work rate, but it’s the target setting.”
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