Faster, Lighter, Smarter: How Siemens Solutions Empower Oracle Red Bull Racing Performance

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For fans the magic of Formula 1 is the roar of the engines and the blur of the cars as they hit the track. But the quest for speed kicks off long before drivers touch the clutch. A race of designs and decisions: going faster, lighter and smarter makes all the difference. In a sport where regulations change at breakneck speed, success comes down to one thing: how quickly and effectively the team can adapt. That is the case with the Oracle Red Bull Racing team. Ever since bursting onto the Formula 1 scene in 2005, the team has remained a dominant force, racking up eight world championships and 63 race wins.

But what fuels their strategy for success? 

With Siemens as its technology partner, Oracle Red Bull Racing has built a digital constellation that combines design, manufacturing, and cost control into a single, high-performance system. This allows for turning complex challenges into competitive advantages at a tournament where the distance between a podium finish and the back of the grid is sometimes no more than a fraction of a second.

Designs hit the track sooner than the cars

In Formula 1, the ability to adapt or even redesign cars at short notice is key to staying ahead. Regulations can come at any time, sometimes close to the tournament or even mid-season. 2021 and 2022 saw revised regulations introduced at an unexpected time, taking some of the racers by surprise. Teams had to adapt their cars in weeks or risk falling behind. Oracle Red Bull Racing achieved this with a fully digital design process powered by Siemens NX software. With the help of this tool, parts are created, tested, and refined virtually before a single physical prototype is made. As head of CAD/PLM at Oracle Red Bull Racing Daniel Watkins explains:

“The improved usability of our design tools has allowed us to bring some of the simulation directly to the design engineers. Engineers can now run a first pass analysis themselves, assess a part suitability and reduce the number of cycles and the cost of iterations”.

This means faster design turnarounds, fewer errors, and more optimized components, a crucial ability when the team is racing not only against the rivals but also against the clock.  

From digital model to physical perfection 

The digital model does not just stay on screen. Thanks to the seamless connection between Siemens NX and Fibersim portfolio, engineers translate virtual designs directly into the real world. In clean rooms, carbon fiber parts are built with utmost accuracy and at a fast speed. How does this happen? Fibersim links the design to a laser projection system that in turn guides laminators with pinpoint accuracy. The laser-guided procedures ensure each carbon piece is placed precisely where it belongs. “We cut geometry preparation from four hours to just two minutes, giving repeatable, standardized outputs,” Watkins notes. 

The result: Fiber components that are accurate to within half a millimeter, built 25 to 30 percent faster and with less material waste.

“Fibersim has been a really big win in a short space of time. On one item, we cut 25 percent off build time, the equivalent of 55 operator hours.”

Says Chris Richardson , Oracle Red Bull Racing’s manufacturing engineer. This laser-guided perfection means lighter cars and faster built cycles.   

The competitive edge that has it all  

What makes this digital system so powerful isn’t just the individual technologies, it is also the way they work together. From the first sketch of a new part to the final financial sign-off, Siemens tools give Oracle Red Bull Racing a single, connected environment with speed, precision, and control. As Matt Cadieux , the Chief Information Officer at Oracle Red Bull Racing says:

“We have the right foundation, so we are in a position of strength. Even though the challenges are ever more sophisticated, we know we will get a high level of assistance from Siemens, and that opens new possibilities that were not previously on our radar. We view Siemens as part of our team.”