Red Bull Motorsports
F1
See the world's fastest machines go head to head in the Ultimate Race
A five-star line-up of drivers and riders do battle in the drag race to end all drag races. Find out who has the quickest straight-line speed, and which vehicle is the surprise package...
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If you challenged an F1 car, a MotoGP bike, a rallycross car, a WRC car and an electric supervehicle, the Ford SuperVan 4.2, to a drag race, who do you think would win?
It's not an easy one to call. As everyone knows, F1 cars are the fastest on four wheels, but are they quicker than a MotoGP bike? Modern WRC cars are quick, too, while World Rallycross cars are specifically built for short sprints. And don't write off the Ford SuperVan 4.2 – they're direct drive and very quick off the mark.
Piloting the vehicles are the cream of international motorsport: F1’s newest driver and Red Bull Racing test driver Liam Lawson is at the wheel of the World Championship-winning RB8. MotoGP race-winner and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing development rider Dani Pedrosa takes the RC16. WRX champion Timmy Hansen brings his Team Peugeot-Hansen 208 rallycross car. WRC starlet Adrien Fourmaux is in a Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1. And, as a wildcard, legendary Le Mans-winner Romain Dumas in a Ford SuperVan 4.2, an all-electric beast that he took to the top of the 2023 Pikes Peak Hill Climb.
Ultimate Race reveals which vehicle has the quickest straight-line speed over a quarter-mile (400m) drag strip at a remote airfield location.
01
Watch the Ultimate Race
Over three rounds of three drag-races, who will come out on top? Watch and find out!
6 min
Ultimate Race
See five of the world's fastest machines go head to head in the Ultimate Race
02
The Vehicles
Sebastian Vettel wins in Brazil in the RB8
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Red Bull Racing RB8
- 2012 F1 Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships
- Race Starts:
- Race Wins: 7 (Sebastian Vettel 5, Mark Webber 2)
- Engine: Renault RS27 2.4 V8
- Output: 850hp
- Weight: 640kg
Brad Binder wins for KTM
© Philip Platzer/Red Bull Content Pool
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16
- Races started: 119
- Race wins: 5 (Brad Binder 2, Miguel Oliveira 3)
- Engine: 1,000cc
- Output: 270hp
- Weight: 160kg
Timmy Hansen in action
© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
Peugeot 208 RX1e
- WRX races started: 28
- Race wins: 7
- Engine: 1,000cc Turbo
- Output: 500kW (680bhp)
- Weight: 1300
- 0-60mph (0-100km/h): 1.8 seconds
Adrien Fourmaux in action
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
M-Sport Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1
- Word Championship Rallies started: 28
- Stage wins: 7
- Engine: 1.6lt Ecoboost Hybrid Turbo + 100 kW electric motor
- Output: 550hp
- Weight: 1260
Romain Dumas in the Ford Supervan 4.2
© Alex Carmichael/Carwow/Red Bull Content Pool
Ford SuperVan 4.2
- Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Goodwood Festival of Speed Hill Climb
- Engines: 50kWh battery powering three x STARD UHP 6-phase motors
- Output: 2,000 hp (1,500 kW)
- Weight: 1680kg
The Men
© Alex Carmichael/Carwow/Red Bull Content Pool
03
The Drivers
Liam Lawson
© Ryan Pierse/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Liam Lawson
- F1 driver Scuderia AlphaTauri
- D.o.B: February 11, 2002
- Nationality: New Zealand
- F1 starts: 2
Dani Pedrosa
© Philip Platzer/Red Bull Content Pool
Dani Pedrosa
- MotoGP Test Rider
- D.o.B: September 29, 1985
- Nationality: Spain
- MotoGP starts: 219
- Race wins: 31
Timmy Hansen
© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
Timmy Hansen
- FIA World Rallycross champion 2019
- World RX Driver
- D.o.B: May 12, 1992
- Nationality: Sweden
- WRX starts: 101
- Race wins: 31
Adrien Fourmaux
© Predrag Vukovic/Red Bull Content Pool
Adrien Formaux
- WRC Driver
- D.o.B: May 3, 1995
- Nationality: France
- WRC starts: 42
- Stage wins: 3
Romain Dumas at Rally Corsica in 2017
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
Romain Dumas
- World Endurance Champion 2016
- Racing driver
- D.o.B: December 14, 1977
- Nat: France
- Le Mans 24Hr winner 2010 & 2016
- WEC starts: 48
- WEC wins: 5
Matt Jones
© Dan Griffiths/Red Bull Content Pool
Matt Jones
- Mountain bike slopestyle rider
- D.o.B: August 13, 1994
- Nationality: British
- Three-time winner Farm Jam in New Zealand
Mat Watson
- YouTuber
- D.o.B: November 21, 1983
- Nationality: British
- Chief Content Officer of Carwow, YouTube’s biggest car channel
04
Who won the Ultimate Race?
Red Bull Ultimate Race
© Red Bull
Drivers, start your engines!
© Alex Carmichael / Carwow / Red Bull Content Pool
Dani Pedrosa chats to Matt Jones and Mat Watson
© Alex Carmichael / Carwow / Red Bull Content Pool
Liam Lawson assesses his RB8
© Alex Carmichael / Carwow / Red Bull Content Pool
Over the short distance, no one could beat the mighty Dani Pedrosa. Dani has put in the hard yards developing the KTMs to transform the revolutionary steel-framed bikes into race-winners. He was followed home closely by Liam Lawson in the RB8 in the opening two rounds, but the real shock was the SuperVan beating the F1 car by 0.1 sec in the final heat.
Race One
Dani Pedrosa makes a clean getaway while Mat and Matt make a brilliant start in the WRC car, leaving the World RX and the F1 car in its wake. But within a few yards, Liam Lawson is up to P2 and chasing the KTM, but Pedrosa's lead is unassailable.
Race Two
"How do I put it in neutral?" asks Matt Jones, as he takes over driving duties in the WRC car. It's not a promising start and in his excitement, he activates the handbrake, making Matt everyone's favourite driver of the day. Up front, Pedrosa is over the horizon with Lawson second again pursued by Hansen in third.
Race Three
Matt Jones swaps World Rally power for the bonkers all-out electric power of the Ford Supervan 4.2. It's the surprise package of the race as Pedrosa makes it three from three. Lawson makes his best start but the van is like a rocket, pipping the RB12 to the line.
It was tricky at first not to use too much power so I could get the best traction
According to Pedrosa, he had even more power in his right hand, but needed to moderate it to make sure his tyre had maximum grip. This gave him the fastest-possible getaway on the slippery surface. “It was tricky at first not to use too much power so I could get the best traction,” said the winner of 31 MotoGP races.
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