Red Bull’s 350 km/h drone will dramatically change live recordings of races

There is no doubt that seeing the madness of extreme sports is crucial to the popularity or even survival of these sports. But, as is often the case, we become accustomed and immune to the sense of speed that we have seen for so long. It’s only when we actually go to a MotoGP or Formula 1 race that we say, ‘Wow, that’s so much faster than it looks on TV.’ Well, thanks to a partnership between Red Bull Technologies and Dutch company Drone Goden, we could be getting closer to the action than ever thought possible. And it’s all thanks to the development of the fastest camera drone in the world.

The drone and F1

This drone is the result of a collaboration between Red Bull Technologies and Drone Gods. The goal was to create a drone that was able to track a Formula 1 car driven by Max Verstappen for a lap. The result: a first-person view (FPV) camera drone that goes from 0 to 300 km/h in less than four seconds and reaches a top speed of 350 km/h.

The next challenge

After Drone Gods had overcome all the challenges of tracking a Formula 1 car, it was time for a new challenge: tracking Moto3-spec KTM bikes around the Jerez circuit in Spain, as the riders preparing for the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup.

You would think this would seem easier than following a Formula 1 car. But this new challenge meant the drone pilot had to navigate a racing class with plenty of close wheel-to-wheel action, physical contact and intensity. Which is very common for the Moto3. And it looks like Shaggy, the FPV drone pilot, jumped at the chance to track a real MotoGP bike. Here’s what he has to say about that:

‘The engines have a longer braking distance than the Formula 1 car, but they accelerate out of the corner much faster – I literally had to adapt in the middle of that. We also had to change the camera angle often during the flights, because we were getting closer, going under bridges and the circuit itself is very dynamic, from low speed to high speed.’

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The future of live broadcasts?

Creating this drone is not an engineering exercise. The aim is to reinvent the way TV channels use technology to improve the viewer experience and make it more engaging. That would be necessary for the growth of MotoGP.

Let’s face it, Dorna did show us some interesting graphics recently, including a newly introduced dual-rider lean angle and speed graphic. And the rear view camera was also reintroduced. But graphics and introduction of previously used camera angles are not going to do it. We can’t wait to see how this technology develops. It could be the biggest leap forward since video cameras.