“Do you think he can follow me?” Impressive: the drone that records at 350 km/h and will revolutionize Formula 1 broadcasts

On the weekend, with the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Formula 1 will retrace the 75th season of its rich history. Max Verstappen He will try to add his second success at the Sakhir circuit, after last year’s success, and Lewis Hamilton will begin his last adventure under the Mercedes umbrella, because in 2025 he will join Ferrari. The 20 pilots who finished the 2023 calendar will begin the new adventure. Two teams will change their names: Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber takes the place of Alfa Romeo and Visa Cash App RB F1 Team displaces Alpha Tauri… But there are also new developments off the tracks and away from the structures, although with speed and aerodynamics that surround the Great Circus as protagonist: an essay with a drone, which recorded at 350km/h, the fact that in the immediate future will revolutionize the broadcasts of the F.1 grand prix.

The rainy day complicated the tasks, but the test at Silverstone dazzled the Formula 1 driversCapture

“Is that the fastest camera drone in the world? Do you think that can keep up with me on a lap in a Formula 1 car?“, mischievously asks three-time world champion Max Verstappen to David Couthard and Liam Lawson during one of the days that took place at the legendary Silverstone racetrack, where on May 13, 1950, F.1 held its first race. . “I think it may be one of the best shots in the history of F.1″, concludes the Dutchman, under the gaze of several members of the Milton Keynes team and waiting for the return that innovated with high-definition images.

The first speed and handling test was done against the RB8, with Coulthard in the seat. “Let’s see if he can beat me in a straight line,” said the 2001 runner-up and winner of 13 grands prix in 246 races, between 1994 and 2008. In a straight line, the drone destroyed the 2012 car, which, like the RB20 with the that Red Bull Racing will aim to extend the hegemony that began in 2022, was designed by engineer Adrian Newey. “These cars, the truth is, are not made for this type of competition. This is the real challenge: filming a fluid, well-framed shot of an entire lap around Silverstone in an RB20 with Max Verstappen”Coulthard challenged.

The RBD-1 test at Silvertone

The engineers took the gamble and began a simply impressive development: the drone has been evolving for a year since its creation and reaches 300km/h in just four seconds; The maximum speed is 350km/h. The device is controlled manually and even with a foot pedal. Speed, resistance, handling in a pattern that has 18 curves… some of the tests that the drone had to overcome. “F.1 cars are unrivaled in terms of their ability to take corners and to decelerate through braking,” says Coulthard, who wondered how the battery will respond to fly at maximum speed during a turn that is 5,800 meters long. A normal drone develops speeds of between 150 and 180km/h, so engineers rethought and reformulated an FPV drone. The first two suffered overheating failures and the field tests would not be similar to those at Silverstone.

Manually and with a pedal, the handling of the drone that will be the future of Formula 1 transmissionsCapture

with the pilot Ralph Hogenbirkknown as Shaggy FPV – Verstappen’s compatriot – in boxing, Gianpiero Lambiase –the engineer MadMax– consulted about the virtues and operation of the drone and was surprised to learn that it is not operated with a tracker or programmed for a GPS, but is manually operated. “Are you kidding?” the Briton admired, which is the voice heard in the dialogues that Verstappen has in each grand prix. “Flying the drone at more than 300km/h is crazy. The wake of the car causes a lot of turbulence to the drone. I’m struggling to keep them stable“, assures Hogenbirk, who knows that if the stability is not met, the signal will be chaotic and there will be no recording. Lawson’s face of disbelief, as the images were broadcast on a computer, the positive response to the essay. The new step was to film Verstappen on one lap.

The dialogue between Hogenbirk and Verstappen, the Dutch drivers of the test that generated a sensationCapture

To improve performance and development, Red Bull Advanced Technologies, one of the engineering arms of the F.1 team, was assisted. A smaller, more aerodynamic design helped reduce the total mass of the drone by approximately 10%, according to Spanish media Marca, which was present at the test. The duel with Verstappen, underway. “These shots have never been done before and the quality is really good. I never thought I would see a drone go so fast, da a different perspective of watching Formula 1″, comments MadMaxthe pilot who will aim to seal a four-time championship and, now, also competes with drones on a track.

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Formula 1Max VerstappenRed Bull RacingTechnology in sport

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