Have you ever wanted to get a bird’s eye view of F1 drivers lapping the track?
Thanks to Red Bull and the Dutch drone gods, your wish has come true.
Red Bull recently unveiled its challenger for the 2024 F1 season, the RB20, and took the car to Silverstone for a shakedown session with both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Drone pilot Ralf Hogenbirk (also known as Shaggy FPV) was also on board, trying to track Verstappen and his RB20 as it hurtled around the historic racing circuit.
result? It includes not only a single shot of the fastest first-person view (FPV) drone of all time, but also amazing visuals of his F1 car and his three-time Drivers Champion in action.
“I never expected a drone to fly that fast just for the camera footage,” Verstappen said after the session. “I didn’t know it was following me when I was driving in the wet and getting so close to me in some places. I was also really surprised at how close you could get. It gives you a slightly different perspective on watching F1.”
The footage is also the result of months of preparation by Dutch Drone Gods, who tested the idea at a number of F1 tracks with drivers Liam Lawson and David Coulthard.
Coulthard, a former F1 driver and current analyst, predicts such footage could be broadcast soon. F1TV.
“When you look at big, wide shots, you lose perspective on the speed of the car. There are many applications that give fans the feeling of riding in these race cars. Having the drone that close allows you to immerse yourself in the whole experience. I’m sure we’ll be seeing this as part of our broadcasts in the not-too-distant future,” Coulthard said.
Part of the process involved building a custom drone that could accommodate an F1 car. Hogenbirk said it was the “craziest” shoot he had ever done.
“This is a special drone because it’s the only one that has a camera attached and flies this fast. It’s completely custom-made and something unique that we’ve developed. Creating a drone fast enough to keep up with the car and keep it in full frame while capturing is a very challenging project,” commented Shaggy FPV. “This was definitely the craziest shoot I’ve ever done.”
Verstappen praised the drone pilot after seeing the footage.
“For pilots, you have a brake pedal, but the brakes work differently in the air, so there are a lot of things you need to consider, like avoiding bridges and anticipating braking points. I think it’s very stressful,” the three-time champion said.
This amazing footage certainly shows the power and speed of an F1 car, and as outlined by Coulthard, don’t be surprised if this footage appears in races in the near future.
