What's the news?
Aston Martin's logo will adorn Red Bull Racing's Formula One cars for the 2016 F1 season, starting this coming weekend at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. But this is much more than a sponsorship deal, as Aston becomes RBR's 'innovation partner' and the companies have confirmed that the tie-up will result in the development of a bespoke hypercar the like of which the world has never seen before.
There are literally no technical details of the new car as yet, codenamed AM-RB 001, as the project is very much in its infancy. Expect it to go on sale in 2018 in very small numbers with a very big price tag. A good benchmark, perhaps, is the limited edition Aston Martin Vulcan, which has an 820hp 7.0-litre V12 under the bonnet, cost about €2.3 million to buy and was sold to just 24 special customers. Unlike the Vulcan, the AM-RB 001 will be road legal, though sources within the project tell us that it will have track lapping pace faster than today's Formula One cars.
That's quite some claim, which means ludicrous amounts of power allied with trick aerodynamics. And who better to design that side of things than Adrian Newey? In case you're not up on your motorsport personnel, Adrian is credited with designing 10 World Championship winning F1 cars in his near 30-year career to date. And yet a road-going supercar seems to be an itch he needs to scratch: "From the age of six I have had two goals in life - to be involved in the design of racing cars, and to be involved in the design of a supercar. Whilst the former ambition went on to form my career to date, the latter has always bubbled away, resulting in countless sketches and doodles over the years. The opportunity to now develop and realise those ideas whilst working with Marek and his colleagues from Aston Martin is tremendously exciting. It allows us to translate the technology we have developed in F1 into a new arena."
The Marek referred to is none other than Marek Reichman, Aston Martin's Chief Creative Officer, responsible for the path of Aston Martin design, including the stunning new Aston DB11. It'll be his job to work with Newey's aerodynamics demands and yet retain Aston's style. "We are in the process of developing a hypercar that combines the latest in aerodynamics from F1 and the stunning design language of an Aston Martin sports car," said Reichman. "The opportunity to collaborate with Adrian (Newey) and Red Bull Advanced Technologies will be a fascinating experience for everyone involved. Unconstrained by F1 regulations, we have a unique chance to create a car in its most efficient form that will represent the ultimate fusion of art and technology."
Roll on 2018...