New technology invented by Dutch team ‘Dutch Drone Gods’ delivers the fastest FPV drone single shot, following Max Verstappen’s brand new Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 for a full lap of the Silverstone Circuit.
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The uninterrupted first-person-view (FPV) footage of Verstappen’s full lap of the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit was shot with a manually piloted drone that was custom-built for this purpose.
The 2024 car was brought up close and personal to viewers for the first time, marking the successful flight of a camera drone at such speed and duration, capturing high-definition video.
“I never thought I’d see a drone going that quick just for camera footage,” said Verstappen after seeing it in action on the circuit.
“I didn’t know it was following me whilst driving in the wet, and it was very close to me in some places,” continued the three-time Formula One World Champion. “I was shocked at how quickly it could keep up and how close it could get in the corners. It gives a different perspective to watching Formula One,” he added.
It took over a year to create a drone that could accelerate two times faster than an F1 car, reaching 300 km/h in just 4 seconds, with a top speed of over 350 km/h.
Dutch Drone Gods and pilot Ralph Hogenbirk, also known as Shaggy FPV, have been preparing for a lap behind their countryman Verstappen with multiple flight simulations, and the first concepts of the drone were drawn in their workshop located in Eindhoven, in the South of the Netherlands.
The development was accelerated by the Dutch Drone Gods’ access to the expertise and processes of Red Bull Advanced Technologies, a high-performance engineering arm of the Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team. The company designed and manufactured lightweight, aerodynamic fairings and structural motor mount arms to help reduce the total mass of the drone by approximately 10%.
This progress was trialled through numerous tests at Formula 1 tracks, utilising RB8 and RB19 cars driven by reserve driver Liam Lawson and 13-time Grand Prix winner turned broadcaster David Coulthard.
“When you see the big, wide shots, you lose perspective on the car’s speed. So many applications give the fans the feeling of what it’s like to be in one of these race cars. When you have…
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