Infiniti Red Bull Racing's video series on how to make an F1 car has finally gotten to the good part.
Turning thousands of painstakingly-produced parts into a Formula One car might sound like a very satisfying experience--Red Bull's engineers say it's like completing the ultimate jigsaw puzzle--but it requires as much precision as making the parts in the first place.
After 5 months of design work, it took Red Bull about a week to build the first of its 2013 RB9 cars. Each car is assembled in a "race bay," because a garage apparently isn't cool enough for this outfit.
Nearly everything bolts to the RB9's carbon fiber chassis tub, which the team refers to as the "big bracket."
Before any of that happens, each part is meticulously tested. Red Bull likes to use Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) methods like X-ray and ultrasound, because it allows engineers to test components without breaking them.
Things get more intense from there.
The team also uses computerized measuring machines to to check things. They even use a laser measuring tool to "probe" a car, checking that everything is as it should be.
Red Bull's inspection department does this with around 6,500 parts.
Red Bull builds five chassis for each race season: two for each driver, and a spare that's carted to races in pieces, per FIA regulations. There are also two test chassis.
To get them on the grid, you need a lot of technology and, apparently, a lot of patience.