Red Bull Racing's unwavering dedication to the win.
The scale of the operations at the Red Bull Racing factory is mind-blowing. During our tour, we saw the 3D printer churning out parts as the workshop operated around the clock. The work of the skilled team of machinists and fabricators wins races as surely as precision overtaking or brilliant pitstop work, because the constant design cycle is worthless if the parts can’t be manufactured at the same fast pace as everything else at Red Bull Racing.
The 300-strong team works on the premise that “Nothing is ever good enough. There is no ceiling to what you can do. There is always a way of making the car better”. Chief Engineering Officer, Rob Marshall, shared a few insights into how the importance of teamwork and ambition at Red Bull Racing plays out.
There is a vast auditorium with around 50 banked seats, facing an enormous screen, where the race is streamed each weekend. During each race dozens of team members play their crucial part in seeking marginal gains.
The interns sit on the front row listening in to the other teams’ radios. The screen also shows the track-side workshop, so technical analysis is going on constantly – at the Red Bull Racing HQ, on race during, as they’re racing. About 1,000 photos are taken of other cars and the team will collectively go through each photo to identify any changes other cars have made. The focus and precision is akin to NASA sending someone into space.
It struck me that such focused leadership and high standards of execution could transform the NHS. Maybe there’s a second career waiting for Rob Marshall.
New rules on environmentally friendly engines were introduced in Formula 1 racing some years ago. I was surprised to learn that, over the past decade, F1 cars have become more fuel efficient than the average car. Rob believes that electric is not the whole answer to the environmental debate, but hydrogen could be.
They call it the home of champions, and it’s clear to me that every member of Red Bull Racing’s felt like a champion.