Aston Martin’s Red Bull Racing hypercar unveiled in Abu Dhabi

The capital played host to the Middle East debut of the British luxury car maker Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing's joint-venture hypercar the AM-RB 001, ably abetted by the Red Bull F1 star Max Verstappen.

The teenage Red Bull Racing F1 pilot Max Verstappen alongside the AM-RB 001 hypercar, a collaboration between Aston Martin and Verstappen's F1 team, as it makes its Middle East debut in Abu Dhabi. CouShow more

As the roar of high-powered Formula One engines echoed around Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit ahead of the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the F1 hero Max Verstappen unveiled a thoroughbred racer of an altogether more luxurious type for its Middle East debut in the capital.

Flanked by the Belgian-Dutch racing driver, 18, who won this year’s Spanish GP – the youngest ever winner in F1 history – in his first drive for Red Bull Racing, Aston Martin and Red Bull unveiled their new jaw-dropping hypercar AM-RB 001 for the first time in the region at Etihad Towers.

The British company will be hoping the new car will at least help to mitigate what has been a tough period. The luxury motor maker, which this year fired up a new £200 million (Dh916.7m) plant in Wales under the its “Second Century” plan, said in June that post-tax losses were £107m in 2015, up from £64.8m in the previous 12 months.

The AM-RB 001 is the product of a unique innovation partnership between the British luxury marque and Red Bull F1 team, which “combines the vision and skills of two world-leading brands to create a road car the like of which has never been seen before”, Aston said.

The Aston Martin president and chief executive Andy Palmer said the timing of the event was ideal.

“I am thrilled to be in Abu Dhabi to present the AM-RB 001 for the first time in the region, and what better opportunity to do so than just hours before the Formula 1 race begins. All of those involved in AM-RB 001 are extremely proud of the car, and I have no doubt it will make automotive history.”

Red Bull Racing’s chief technical officer, Adrian Newey and Aston Martin’s chief creative officer, Marek Reichman have combined the ultimate in cutting-edge F1 technology with Aston Martin’s signature sports car design. “The partnership combines years of specialism – both with heritage, making some of the world’s most beautiful and charismatic GT cars, and with technological expertise and relentless pursuit of speed and efficiency that has seen Red Bull Racing excel in the ferociously competitive world of Formula One,” said Aston, which is opening a new Abu Dhabi showroom scheduled for early next year.

Crazy

Naturally, the firm will be counting on the country’s love of fast, expensive luxurious motors to boost its dwindling coffer. As well as investment in new factories and cars – product development spending increased by 40 per cent to £161m – Aston was driven deeper into the red by £30.2m of impairments, £7.5m of restructuring costs and a further hit linked to issuing new shares to the privately held car maker’s owners.

Although renowned for refined, high-performance luxury sports cars, the company is not making its first step into the somewhat crazy world of hypercars with the AM-RB 001. Last year it launched the Vulcan, a 7-litre, V12, 800 horse power monster that hits 100kph in 2.9 seconds before topping out at an eyeball-squeezing 360kph.

Having driven the Vulcan, Jeremy Clarkson, now starring with his two former Top Gear sidekicks on Amazon's hugely popular remake, The Grand Tour, commented thus: "Not going to say it's like being attacked by a bear, it isn't, but it is like being in a room with a bear that is thinking of attacking you."

While that track-only racer is, frankly, a bit mad, the AM-RB 001 is a fusion of form and function: a hypercar engineered to be entirely usable on the road, but with the capability to perform like an unfettered race animal on the track. Aston said the AM-RB 001 is a bespoke machine from the tyres up, and at its heart is a new, mid-mounted, high-revving, naturally aspirated V12 engine.

Built around a lightweight carbon fibre structure, the car boasts radical aerodynamics for what the company said is unprecedented levels of downforce in a road-legal car. With Mr Newey’s design, much of this downforce is generated through underfloor aerodynamics, leaving Mr Reichman free to expresses both the AM-RB 001’s dynamism and the essence of what makes an Aston Martin an Aston Martin.

Price

“The AM-RB 001 has been an inspirational project to deliver in synergy with our partners Aston Martin,” said the Red Bull Racing team principal, Christian Horner. “As we reveal the car at different cities across the globe, it is incredibly rewarding to see the delight and reactions of those viewing it for the first time. We will no doubt witness as much of a sense of wonder and excitement here in Abu Dhabi and across venues in the Middle East, as anywhere else in the world.”

Although Aston does not give any price guidance for the new machine, you will have probably to have very deep pockets and very long arms if you fancy one; its Vulcan supercar, a limited edition of just 24 vehicles, cost an eye-popping £2.3 million (Dh10.5m) new. But even that is small change compared with its F1 brother in arms – according to the sports website TSM Plug, a track-ready F1 racing car will cost up to £17m. Each.

But if a road-going hypercar/track beast is not enough to get your fix of driving adrenalin, a circuit-only AM-RB 001 is also in development. Total volume will be 150 road cars inclusive of all remaining prototypes and 25 track-only versions, with first deliveries commencing in 2019.

So for retiring F1 drivers worried they will miss the noise and fury of GP racing, there is not long to wait for a suitably cutting-edge alternative – and one that will cosset their ageing bones much more forgivingly than a Formula One car cockpit.

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