Do you reckon that a camera drone can keep up with the fastest machines in motorsport? It certainly can! With the 2025 MotoGP weekend at Spielberg about to get underway, the Red Bull Drone 1 followed a Red Bull KTM RC16 around the Austrian Grand Prix circuit, showing the speed and performance of the motorcycle elite from a totally new perspective. You will definitely want to see the footage of this! And if you want to see the top names of the sport live and up close but haven’t yet got your ticket, these can still be purchased online until Friday as well as at the box offices on-site.
Red Bull Drone 1 tracks MotoGP bike for the first time
After successfully capturing Max Verstappen in his F1 car in 2024 and being deployed in the World Rally Championship and the Red Bull Rookies Cup earlier this year, the FPV drone has now made its MotoGP debut at Spielberg. The custom-built FPV drone is completely manually controlled by Ralph Hogenbirk, also known as Shaggy FPV, via two highly sensitive control sticks. Simultaneously, the pilot adjusts the camera angle with their foot. “It was a challenge to follow the Moto GP bike around the track with the main difference between an F1 car and a Moto GP bike being different acceleration and braking. While acceleration is quite heavy and sudden, the braking is not as severe as Formula 1. However, we managed to adapt to heavy braking zones, flowing turns and high speed zones well and we are happy with the results.”, Hogenbirk said, thrilled after chasing Jonas Folger on a MotoGP bike at high speed, capturing spectacular images.
Pure racing DNA with a top speed of 350 km/h
The drone was developed by the designers and pilots of the Netherlands-based Dutch Drone Gods outfit in collaboration with Red Bull Advanced Technologies. The device, which weighs less than one kilogram and is made of carbon, fibreglass and 3D polymers, can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than two seconds and from 100 to 300 km/h in a further two seconds. With a top speed of 350 km/h, it can reach forces of up to 6G when fully loaded.
The Red Bull Ring is all geared up to welcome the motorcycle elite in the heart of Steiermark province with a festival of motorsport as only the Austrians know how to do it, serving up a programme of first-class race action, live concerts and other entertainments on and off the track from Thursday through to Sunday.
