Respirator designed by Red Bull and Renault F1 teams rejected by UK's NHS
A low-cost respirator jointly designed by the two F1 teams has been rejected by the NHS, however an F1 spokesperson said those involved should be proud of their efforts.
All seven UK-based Formula 1 teams have teamed up to fight the coronavirus under “Project Pitlane” and have already developed two types of respirators that have been approved and gone into production, with the NHS ordering 10,000 units of each device.
However, a third low-cost prototype designed by Red Bull and Renault, known as BlueSky, has been rejected by the NHS as it did not meet requirements.
The two F1 teams had designed the prototype in just three weeks after it they had assigned a large part of their staff to work on the project for up to 18 hours a day.
Initial reports of the device had been positive and the hundreds of workers who had worked on the project were expecting approval from the NHS.
However the British health authority has deemed that Covid-19 patients required more sophisticated devices than it was originally thought were needed.
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Teams should be proud, says F1 spokesman
Despite their disappointment, an F1 spokesman said that the teams involved in the BlueSky project should be proud of their efforts.
“The F1 team project leads for BlueSky - Red Bull Racing and Renault F1 Team - have shown brilliant dedication and skill throughout the project and should feel proud of the work they have undertaken,” he said.
"The seven teams continue to focus their collective efforts on the two remaining work streams, while standing ready to respond to any further calls for help."