McCullough: Aston Martin 'well prepared' for ATR reset

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Aston Martin's strong performance in the first half of the season has led to a reduction of its all-important aerodynamic testing time from June 30, but the team says it's well prepared for the mandatory cutback.

The aero efficiency of Aston's AMR23 coupled with the skills of Fernando Alonso produced a remarkable run of podiums – six overall – during the first half of the season.

The Silverstone-based outfit current sits third in F1's Constructors standings but the team remains a force to be reckoned with by Mercedes for the runner-up spot in the championship.

However, Aston's success has come at a price as the outfit must now deal with the mid-season reset of its wind tunnel and CFD time as imposed by the sport's Aerodynamic Testing Reduction (ATR) system.

Aston Martin's ATR has subsequently dropped to 80%, which equates to 256 wind-tunnel runs and 1,600 CFD items.

While the team will take a hit, Aston performance director Tom McCullough says that its has prepared diligently for its ATR adjustment.

"We obviously knew that was coming. Having seen the strength of the team in the first few races, we knew we were going to lose the wind tunnel time," explained the British engineer.

"All teams are always working on the operational efficiency in the wind tunnel and that’s something which we were having to get ready for with the way we mapped, developed, and understand the car.

"At the end of the day, it is a hit and you'd want more running, but we’re pretty well prepared for it."

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Regarding Aston's development programme, McCullough said the team has slightly changed its approach this season compared to last year, with more of an emphasis on qualifying.

"We do, historically as a team, focus heavily on race performance," he said.

"But you have to try and qualify well too, and at certain circuits it’s obviously more important than others.

"Inherent tyre management, car set-up philosophy, we used to be a little bit too race-focused at times last year. And we sort of consciously tried to balance that out a bit better."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.