The Formula 1 “One Shot” With Max Verstappen is a high speed drone chase

The uninterrupted first-person-view (FPV) footage of the 3-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen’s full lap of the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, was shot on a drone. This stunning footage brought viewers up close and personal with the 2024 car, marking the first time a camera drone has successfully flown at amazing speeds.

A Goal Achieved

It took over a year to create a drone that can accelerate two times faster than an F1 car, reaching 300 km/h in just 4 seconds with a top speed of over 350 km/h. Dutch Drone Gods and pilot Ralph Hogenbirk, a.k.a Shaggy FPV have been preparing for a lap behind countryman Verstappen with multiple flight simulations.

Moreover, this progress was trialed by actual tests at Formula 1 tracks with RB8 and RB19 cars driven by reserve driver Liam Lawson and 13-time Grand Prix winner turned broadcaster, David Coulthard. The Pilot is navigating the drone’s flight route with a radio controller, observing the flight path only through FPV goggles.

High Speed Recording

The camera angle is then adjusted simultaneously with a foot pedal, requiring precision in hand-to-eye coordination to deliver a smooth close-up shot of an F1 car going over 300 km/h, a completely new challenge for the pilot.

Having previously piloted a variety of FPV drones following MTB bike athletes in events like Red Bull Cerro Abajo, keeping up with the Formula 1 car going at full speed was a new challenge for Shaggy FPV & technology in terms of cornering, acceleration and deceleration, battery life, connectivity and everything in between.

Challenges Overcome

Not only was it a challenge for the pilot to stay close to the RB20. While the average consumer drones travel around 60 km/h, with an approximate battery life of 30-minutes, the drone, designed to chase the RB20, needed to fly with the agility of an F1 car.

This meant it needed big accelerations and decelerations, both of which significantly reduced battery life to around 3-minutes. They were challenges not lost on Verstappen as he watched the footage of the drone behind his car.