Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Global
Breaking news

Aston Martin wants hyper-car to be faster than F1 cars

Aston Martin wants its Adrian Newey-designed hyper-car to be able to lap Silverstone faster than current Formula 1 machinery.

Red Bull X2010

Red Bull X2010

Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull X2010
Red Bull X2010
Adrian Newey, Red Bull Racing Chief Technical Officer
Red Bull X2010
Red Bull X2010
Adrian Newey, Red Bull Racing Chief Technical Officer
Red Bull X2010
Red Bull X2010

The British sportscar manufacturer announced a technology partnership with Red Bull on Thursday that brings its name back to F1 and will help create what it hopes will be the fastest road car ever.

The initial plan is to restrict numbers of cars produced to just 99, with a price tag estimated to be greater than $1 million (USD).

Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer said that the mission was clear: its limited edition model will have to be quicker than F1.

When asked if the AM-RB 001 had to be the fastest road car ever created, he said: "If you put it out there, somebody will always try to beat you - which is probably the point.

"As we sit here today, the raison d'etre that we've given the team is to be faster than an F1 car around Silverstone – or indeed any other F1 track.

"I am sure there are other cars that can go in straight lines quicker than this. We don't make drag cars, we make cars you can use. That is the raison d'etre we use."

Newey ground effect

Although Aston Martin has not finalised the engine specification for the car yet, it has confirmed that its performance will be helped by extreme ground effect aerodynamics.

Speaking about the plan, Newey said: "My final-year project [at university] was on ground effect aerodynamics supplied to a road car. When I first started thinking about this project, I dragged up that project from 1980 and referred to it."

Newey said the scope to create an ultimate road car had given him the kind of design freedom that has been lacking in F1 recently.

"It's much, much more open," he said. "There is more room for creativity.

"The rulebook now almost designs the car for you in Formula 1. I think that is clear in the way the cars have converged in terms of looks.

"With road cars, there is far more freedom with trying to do something which I think will be a bit different to anything else that is out there."

F1 lessons

Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes that the hyper-car would prove a point to F1 chiefs about what was possible in terms of performance.

"I think it will show with unrestricted aerodynamics what is possible," he said. "I think that F1 has got scope to move the lap times considerably quicker.

"There is a step coming for 2017, we personally would like it to go further, but we seem to be a lone voice in that.

"But F1 should be the ultimate. Taking unrestricted aerodynamics, this car will be seriously, seriously quick. And the initial indications we have had from it is that it has generated more downforce than any car that we have ever produced."

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Revealed: The full scope of F1's tighter radio limits
Next article Have your say: New F1 rules have split the paddock but will they improve the racing?

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Global