Ricciardo & Márquez race the AC40s ahead of Spanish F1 weekend
Alinghi Red Bull Racing was joined today by two motorsport icons, 8-time Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo and 8-time MotoGP champion Marc Márquez. The two athletes are in Barcelona ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, which Ricciardo will be competing in this weekend. They both took the chance to see how the Swiss America’s Cup campaign is coming along.
Following Max Verstappen’s visit to the Base last year, the two racers took it a step further today, not only getting to foil on the Swiss challenger’s two AC40 yachts, but race them on the America’s Cup venue. Swapping wheels for sails, Ricciardo and Márquez went head-to-head along Barcelona’s seafront for a friendly contest, feeling the adrenaline as they reached speeds of almost 90 km/h.
Both boats were quick off the start, but ultimately the Australian driver got the upper hand, outpacing the Catalonian MotoGP champion on his home turf. A gracious winner, Ricciardo was struck by the speed and manoeuvrability of the AC40s .
“When you come out of the water foiling, the boats go so fast, the agility and everything's really precise. You also feel the wind like we do – and Marc does on his bike – but unless it’s a wet race we don't really get the water that much. So every now and then you hit a wave and get covered with water!”
For Márquez, the most impressive aspect of racing an America’s Cup boat is the teamwork and coordination needed. “The biggest thing I was asking myself was how they learn and understand what they need to do. It’s super difficult to feel what's going on inside the boat because as soon as you are flying, everything is super smooth.”
Comparing his experience racing motorbikes, the MotoGP champion continued: “The speed is completely different. Maybe in kilometres per hour it’s slower, but the feeling of the speed was super high. When you’re in it, you don't feel like you are flying. But then I saw Daniel’s boat flying by our side, and I realised I was too. We were foiling super smoothly.”
Alinghi Red Bull Racing has been working closely with Red Bull Advanced Technologies, the high-performance vehicle engineering division of Red Bull Racing. Despite the apparent difference between the two sports, both Formula One and the America’s Cup share roots in high-performance engineering.
“The way these boats are built and the structure feels a lot like the cockpit of a Formula One car,” Ricciardo noted. “They’re super sensitive with the wind, so aerodynamics has some crossover as well. It's a lot like what we do, with small movements and everything needs a lot of finesse.”
Skipper Arnaud Psarofaghis was tasked with getting the two athletes up to speed before the AC40s went out. “Daniel took my seat on the boat, and followed all my directions as I sent them over from the chase boat,” said Psarofaghis. “Both Marc and Daniel were dropped in the deep end today, and they adapted really quickly.”
“Daniel and Marc were really interested to learn about our America’s Cup campaign, so before we got on the water I even gave them a behind-the-scenes tour onboard our AC75, BoatOne.”
Although it was a lower-stakes race for Ricciardo ahead of the Formula One this Sunday, the friendly competition with his Red Bull colleague might just be the preparation he needs as he gears up for the racetrack.
“You never know what to expect when you experience something like this, but I had a lot of fun.” said Ricciardo. “Also to do it with Marc, it was great for us to spend some time together and do something like this with Alinghi Red Bull Racing.”
It was an inspiring day out on the water for the Swiss challenger, and Ricciardo left the team with some words of support.
“I want to wish the team the absolute best for the America's Cup. It's going to be awesome. I've seen everything, and we know you're going to do great, so we’ll be cheering you on.”
