Red Bull and F1 have partnered up to market racing equipment that cannot be crashed. The 2022 Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 Show Car Simulator offers "unparalleled F1 experience" at around $120,000 (£99,999). At the price of a 2023 Porsche 911 Carrera S, here's what you get.
Memento Exclusives, a firm created by ex-Honda F1 lead technician Barry Gough, is behind the creation of this stationary racing setup. It developed the Alfa Romeo F1 show vehicles for 2022 and 2023, so we believe them when they say this gaming simulator is built using the same methods as the genuine race cars.
In fact, the gaming station development process is said to use CAD data straight from Red Bull. There are two distinct variants. The Show Car, the less expensive of the two, costs $90,447 (£74,999). The $120,596 (£99,999) Champion's Edition version has the front wing portion that is missing from the Show Car.
Apart from the front half of an F1 vehicle, the setup includes functional adjustable gaming pedals, a Rexing Formula Wheel Mayaris with Red Bull branding and paddle shifters, and an extra-wide, curved AOC gaming display. A Z906 Ultimate THX Surround Sound system provides audio. There is no information on the sort of computer hardware provided.
The "hardware is determined in conjunction with the race team, delivering only the best market-leading solutions," according to Memento Exclusives. We're left to speculate what it implies in the actual world. What we do know is that consumers will be able to choose between Max Verstappen's championship-winning livery and Sergio Perez's.
Shipping to the UK is £500, which is around $602 USD. Nevertheless, shipping to the United States will cost at least £16,500 ($19,898) on top of the purchase price. We believe that, in this scenario, a real Porsche is the most practical option.
