Page 42 - The Book For Men Spring/Summer 2023

Drive to Survive
Red Bull’s F1 Simulator is the next best thing to having an F1 car
ONLY 20 DRIVERS IN THE WORLD GET TO RACE A FORMULA 1 CAR ON
any given weekend. They’ve spent their entire lives working towards that moment when the lights go out, to race the most expensive, technically advanced, and wicked-fast cars on the planet. Chances are you’ll never be an F1 driver, sorry. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t slide into the cockpit of an F1 car and go racing. The new 2022 Red Bull Racing RB18 simulator lets anyone race from the comfort of their home, provided you have the space (and a partner) willing to let you plonk a Formula 1 car in the living room.
“Driving a Formula 1 car is something most of us can only dream of, but this simulator is as close as it gets to the real thing,” said Red Bull team
principal Christian Horner.
The RB18 simulator is made in the U.K. by Memento Exclusives using
a similar carbon-fibre manufacturing process as genuine F1 cars, so these replicas are picture-perfect. Instead of the 1,000-plus horsepower hybrid engine, however, these cars are powered by a built-in gaming computer. A THX surround-sound system and curved widescreen monitors help immerse would-be racers, while a quick-release steering wheel looks just like the real thing. The whole simulator with all of its hardware weighs 160 kg, and is sold exclusively through the sport’s official memorabilia shop, F1 Authentics, for $170,948.
42 BFM / SS23 PORTFOLIO
TEXT BY MATT BUBBERS.