Aston Martin, Red Bull to collaborate on hypercar

British luxury carmaker Aston Martin and Formula One team Red Bull Racing on March 17 announced a partnership through which the two companies will produce a next-generation Aston Martin hypercar. The principle personnel involved will be Red Bull Racing’s CTO, Adrian Newey and Aston Martin’s chief creative officer, Marek Reichman.

Codenamed Project AM-RB 001, the new hypercar will blend cutting-edge F1 technology with Aston Martin’s signature sports car design. This new Innovation Partnership unites the world’s best aerodynamicists, composites experts and manufacturing masters.

Aston Martin CEO Dr. Andy Palmer says, “Formula One offers the ultimate global stage to build wider awareness of the Aston Martin brand. However, this partnership will deliver even more than that when the hypercar that Aston Martin and Adrian Newey are in the process of developing hits the road.

“Between Q by Aston Martin Advanced, Red Bull Advanced Technologies and project partner AF Racing AG, we are going to create a car that will excite and stir the imaginations of the car designers of the future and a global audience of sports car enthusiasts," says Pelmer. "These are exciting times for Aston Martin and arriving hot on the heels of our DB11 launch earlier this month, this new partnership underlines that our brand really is racing again.”

Red Bull Racing Team principal Christian Horner says of the new partnership: “This is a very exciting project for everyone at Red Bull Racing. Through this Innovation Partnership the iconic Aston Martin logo will return to grand prix racing for the first time since 1960, and Red Bull Advanced Technologies, led by Adrian, will be harnessing our Formula One DNA to produce the ultimate of all road cars. It’s an incredible project which also realises a dream and vision long held by Adrian to design a road car. We are very much looking forward to what I’m certain will be a successful partnership.”

As the designer of cars such as the Aston Martin DB11 — which was revealed earlier this month at the Geneva International Motor Show — the Aston Martin Vulcan and the One-77, Marek Reichman holds the key to the design language of the modern era of Aston Martins.

“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,” says 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.”

Having an illustrious Formula One career spanning nearly 30 years, and as the designer of ten World Championship winning Formula One cars, the partnership represents a new challenge for Red Bull Racing’s Newey.

“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 super car.” Newey says. “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.