Aston Martin poach Mercedes aerodynamic chief Blandin

Jamie Woodhouse
Eric Blandin and Valtteri Bottas hold the winner trophies. Japan, October 2019.

Eric Blandin, Mercedes aero chief and Valtteri Bottas hold the winning trophies in Japan. October 2019.

Aston Martin have announced that Mercedes’ aero chief Eric Blandin will swap Brackley for Silvestone to join them from 2022.

Racing under the Aston Martin name as of 2021, team owner Lawrence Stroll has set about a major recruitment drive with the team targeting World Championship success within the next six years, perhaps even four.

Already several high-profile signings had been made, including Dan Fallows who will leave Red Bull to become Aston Martin’s new technical director.

Luca Furbatto is set to arrive imminently from Alfa Romeo, becoming engineering director at Aston Martin, while former McLaren Racing CEO Martin Whitmarsh has now begun his role as the Aston Martin Group CEO.

And Blandin can now be added to the list, who will join Aston Martin for 2022, though his exact start date is yet to be agreed between Mercedes and Aston Martin.

Blandin worked initially with Red Bull, leading their aero team from their formation in 2005 until 2009, at which point the Austrian outfit had become a genuine title threat.

He would then enjoy a stint with Ferrari before joining Mercedes in 2011, working his way up to becoming Chief Aerodynamicist with the team in 2017.

In an official statement Aston Martin, as quoted by the Formula 1 website, said: “We can confirm that Eric Blandin will begin working for Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team next year.

“His exact start date is not yet confirmed. The transition from Mercedes AMG F1 Team to ourselves will be an amicable one.”

Blandin’s signature is unlikely to be the last one which Aston Martin secure as part of their staff expansion, which team boss Otmar Szafnauer recently offered an insight into.

“Things haven’t slowed down in the recruitment, 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,” he said.

“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 have not enjoyed the greatest of campaigns in 2021, currently down in P7 in the Constructors’ Championship with two races to go.

If they were to catch AlphaTauri ahead, then they would need to make up 35 points on the Italian outfit, who boast a total of 112.

 

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