Bombardier and Alinghi Red Bull Racing: Nautical Chemistry at the America’s Cup

With the 37th America’s Cup Louis Vuitton , which we talked about in this article, is fast approaching, we learned on August 8 that Montreal-based aircraft manufacturer Bombardier was joining the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team as an official supplier. Learn more about the Bombardier and Alinghi Red Bull Racing partnership.

Bombardier and Alinghi Red Bull Racing: Pushing the limits on sea and in the air

This new partnership brings together two leaders in their respective fields to go further and reach the pinnacle of engineering and innovation in their desire to push back the limits, whether on the sea or in the sky. The Alinghi Red Bull Racing team, which won the Cup in 2003 and 2007 under the Alinghi name, is back in force this year to take part in this meeting of the greats, aboard its impressive BoatOne, while Bombardier is preparing to launch its Global 8000, which we can’t wait to see in action, and which will become the fastest business jet in the sky.

“We are excited to join forces with Alinghi Red Bull Racing, one of the most iconic teams in competitive sailing. Our partnership was born out of mutual respect and a likeminded approach in reaching the top of our respective fields,” said Stephen McCullough, Senior Vice President, Engineering and Product Development, Bombardier. “Our teams have much in common. All of us are dedicated to uncompromising performance. We master precision engineering and expert design, coupled with an intense drive for perpetual innovation. All of us at Bombardier are excited to add some wind to the sails of Alinghi Red Bull Racing as they reach for the very top in competitive sailing.”

Returning for the 37th America’s Cup, the Swiss opposition is made up of new crew members, who are associated with a management team that is twice champion of the prestigious race, combining fierce ardour with invaluable experience. The team will certainly be one to fear, thanks to this alliance with Red Bull, which will enable it to benefit from the expertise of its Red Bull Advanced Technologies unit, which has helped Red Bull Racing drivers win seven Formula 1 world championship titles.

As this race is also known as the Formula 1 of the Seas, it’s certain that Alinghi Red Bull Racing is off to a good start to reclaim its title, the team having already made a name for itself at the preliminary regattas in Vilanova i La Geltrú, Spain, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

“We at Alinghi Red Bull Racing are delighted and feel privileged to have Bombardier accompanying us in our quest for the 37th America’s Cup. Today many of our designers have an aeronautical engineering background so we share very much the same passion and vision with Bombardier. And we are ready to take off together!” said Silvio Arrivabene, co-general manager at Alinghi Red Bull Racing.

Engineering and performance for the Formula 1 of the seas

“Racing sailboats like the Swiss team’s amazing BoatOne that fly above the waves on foils have more similarities with an aircraft than how we typically imagine boats to look and move,” said McCullough, Bombardier’s hief of engineering who has been one of the driving visionary forces behind the development of Bombardier’s Global 7500 and Global 8000 jets

Just as the Swiss team’s engineers push the boundaries of nautical engineering to achieve the highest possible speeds on the water, in all possible conditions, Bombardier is breaking records in its own field—aviation. The Bombardier Global 7500 holds over 40 industry speed records to date, including the title for the longest flight in business aviation history, at 8,225 nautical miles.

Bombardier is currently preparing the entry into service of its Global 8000 aircraft, which aims to push performance even further without compromise. The aircraft has already made aviation history by breaking the sound barrier during tests, the first civil aircraft to do so since the Concorde. This track record, along with the longest range and smoothest flight in the industry, contributed to the aircraft’s most recent consecration, for a second year, as the best private aircraft, according to the editors of the Best of the Best 2024 edition of the Robb Report Monaco & Côte d’Azur.

“The team at Alinghi Red Bull Racing embodies passion, innovation, speed, performance, and a boldness in pushing boundaries – all of which are values that have been driving us as well in developing the best jets in business aviation,” said Jean-Christophe Gallagher, Executive Vice President, Aircraft Sales & Bombardier Defense. “It is a true privilege to witness the performance the ARBR team is already delivering in this fascinating comeback, and we are excited that this partnership will allow us to share our window seat view of the world of competitive sailing with everyone who loves to see as much as we do innovative engineering and design in action, including our employees, customers, and other aviation fans.” 

It’s a rendez-vous at the Barcelona Preliminary Regatta from August 22 to 25, 2024, to see the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team in action.