Can an V8-powered F1 car take on a MotoGP bike, a rallycross car, a rally car, and an all-electric supervan through the quarter mile?
Formula One is frequently called the pinnacle of motorsport, but that doesn’t mean its cars are necessarily the fastest in a straight line. To see which form of motorsport is the fastest, Red Bull lined a handful of its vehicles up for a drag race.
Performed with the help of Carwow’s Mat Watson, Red Bull brings together its F1 car with a KTM MotoGP bike it sponsors, a World Rallycross car, a World Rally Championship competitor, and a surprise fifth guest, Ford’s E-Transit supervan, for a new video.
While the F1 car does have to get off the line in a hurry for the sport’s standing starts, its RWD powertrain puts it at a disadvantage compared to the two cars and the van, which have AWD. Meanwhile, the motorcycle’s insane power to weight ratio will help it compete, even if its engine only powers one wheel.
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Whereas the V8-powered 2012 Red Bull RB8 makes 850 hp (634 kW/862 PS) and weighs 1,543 lbs (700 kg), the MotoGP bike makes just under a third as much power at 270 hp (201 kW/274 PS). However, it weighs less than a quarter as much as the F1 car, at 346 lbs (157 kg).
That’s better than the Rallycross car, which makes 600 hp (447 kW/608 PS) and weighs 2,866 lbs (1,300 kg), or the M-Sport Ford Puma WRC rally car, which makes 550 hp (410 kW/558 PS) and weighs 2,778 lbs (1,260 kg), though they both have all-wheel-drive, which helps with traction off the line.
Finally, the all-electric Ford E-Transit supervan makes the most power of all, but also weighs the most. Its electric motors can put 2,011 hp (1,500 kW/2,039 PS) to the ground, though it weighs a whopping 3,703 lbs (1,680 kg).
Despite having trouble getting its power down and being beaten off the line by nearly all of the vehicles, the F1 car’s low weight and high power propel past the rally and rallycross cars in the race.
It can only just catch up to the all-electric van through the quarter-mile, and they finish the final race in a dead heat. However, in every race, the lightweight MotoGP bike takes the lead early and holds onto it through the quarter-mile, winning by a greater and greater margin every time, proving that power is only a part of the puzzle of speed.
