Red Bull Racing, the team that has dominated the top-tier of motorsport for the last three years, has teamed up with sponsor Infiniti to create a collection of videos to show some of the secrets behind their success.
In the first of a four-part series, team principal Christian Horner guides us through the design process that every new F1 car goes through.
Unsurprisingly, creating a world-class racing car isn’t the work of a moment. Over 300 people worked on the design of RB9 (Red Bull’s current F1 challenger) alone, with the skill of everyone from aerodynamicists to material experts being utilised.
From designer Adrian Newey’s initial drawings (done on real paper no less) through to the more complicated computer aided design simulations, every conceivable part of a grand prix car is rigourously tested, fettled and tested again, to sure maximum impact when race day comes.
Even after RB9 has turned a wheel in anger, the engineering work doesn’t stop, with around 30,000 design changes taking place over the course of the season as the engineers learn more and more about their incredible creation.
And, when the final chequered flag falls, the team has just five months to create an all-new car that will meet the ever changing requirements the FIA hands down each year. As Red Bull’s technical partnership manager Alan Peasland says: “the development race never stops”.
