Introducing the new Red Bull F1 Energy Station
The European Formula One season heralds the return of the F1 paddock in its full glory, with transporters, treehouses and motorhomes. After 14 seasons of sterling work, Red Bull Racing's home from home has been replaced and the new Red Bull F1 Energy Station looks rather different. They’re nicknaming it the F1 Holzhaus (or Wood House).
The original Red Bull Holzhaus is a MotoGP motorhome that debuted last year with a one-off F1 appearance at the Austrian Grand Prix. It proved a big success and so it wasn’t long before the decision was taken to build a new home suitable for the Teams’ needs.
For 2019, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso get a Holzhaus to call their own. Unveiled at the Spanish Grand Prix, it is bigger than the original – but still made of sustainably sourced Austrian timber.
The new Energy Station is something of a behemoth and, at 1221m2, it offers 27 percent more floor space than its predecessor. It can be erected in less than two days and taken down in one by a crew of 25, and uses a natural convection design intended to do away with the need for air conditioning.
Before moving into his new office, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Team Principal, Christian Horner, commented “At the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix, Red Bull changed the game with the introduction of its Energy Station. Over the last 14 seasons, the Energy Station has undergone several transformations, moving with the times, first to accommodate two F1 teams after the arrival of Toro Rosso, and then with a series of upgrades to better meet our changing requirements.”
While simplicity lies at the heart of Red Bull Racing's new Energy Station’s function, it’s certainly a very complex structure. So, just to keep things interesting, after the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the crew will be taking it down in a hurry, transporting it to Imperia on the Italian Riviera, and rebuilding it there on a barge, to be towed to Monte Carlo.
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