Unrelenting focus on evolution and innovation

"There’s no room for complacency in this sport," observes Christian Horner, team principal of Red Bull Racing, after the team finished second in the 2009 Championship. As he spoke, the team was already manufacturing its 2010 car, because Formula 1? success demands an unrelenting focus on evolution and innovation.

"We talk about racing ‘cars,’ but they cannot really be compared with what we drive on a normal road," comments Steve Nevey, Red Bull Racing’s business and technical development manager. "The flow of air over, under and through a racing car determines its ultimate speed and the way it functions, for example the engine is fed and cooled by airflow. The emphasis on aerodynamics and weight means that we are designing and manufacturing technical machines that are closer to an aircraft than a saloon (sedan) car. They are finely balanced to begin with and then continually refined for speed and accuracy."

Red Bull Racing’s development process has to be as swift and precise as these amazing vehicles and the company rely on NX? software for CAD/CAM/CAE and Teamcenter? software to capture and manage knowledge. It is a creative and collaborative, virtual world from which the real, live car emerges almost fully formed and ready to be put to the test on the track. "We call it our digital backbone," says Nevey. "NX and Teamcenter sit at the heart of the company and they feed data to our manufacturing facilities; we could not manage without them."

Rigorous and dynamic regulations

Design of the car begins with the overall aerodynamic package and what is referred to as the chassis: the carbon fiber survival cell in which the driver sits. The engine is bolted to the back of the cell and the gearbox attached behind the engine. Systems such as hydraulics and suspension need to fit in and around these components, with the radiators being positioned on either side of the driver.

Formula 1 regulations are refined each year and the design has to meet rigorous criteria. Major changes were instituted for the 2009 season and one of the challenges for 2010 is how to manage the ban on refueling during the race. This means that suspension, transmission and braking systems all have to be fortified to carry a high-capacity fuel tank that is longer, wider and heavier as it must carry twice as much. A continuing requirement for 2010 is that the gearbox has to last for four races so, with the additional fuel, it has to be even more robust, yet as light as ever. In addition, the Restricted Resource Agreement introduced by the Federation International de la AutomobileMercurial Superfly low