Current Red Bull Racing

Red Bull Racing

FIA Entry: Red Bull Racing Renault
Car 1: Sebastien Vettel
Car 2: Mark Webber
Engine: Renault V8
Team Owner: Dietrich Mateschitz
Team Principal: Christian Horner
Chief Technical: Office Adrian Newey
Chief Designer: Rob Marshall
Race Engineer Car 1: Guillaume “Rocky” Rocquelin
Race Engineer Car 2: Ciaron Pilbeam

Stats as of end 2010

First Entered 2005
Races Entered 107
Race Wins 15
Pole Positions 20
Fastest Laps 12
Driver World Championships 1
Constructor World Championships 1

Team History

Before Red Bull

In 1997 Paul Stewart, aided by his father Jackie and the Ford Motor Company, made the leap from F3000 to F1 as an entrant. Jonny Herbert won 1 race for the Stewart team before it was sold off to Ford who re-branded the cars as Jaguar.

Ford stuck with it through thick and thin (mainly thin) through to the end of 2004 before selling the team to Dietrich Mateschitz, who owns the Red Bull drinks brand, for $1 on the understanding he invested $400 million over 3 years

Red Bull Racing

With Christian Horner installed as team principal, McLaren refugee David Coulthard and Christian Klien as the drivers Red Bull went racing. Their first season was certainly more successful than Jaguar had managed, even with the same Cosworth power plant, with Coulthard managing a 4th place at the European Grand Prix and the team finishing 7th in the Constructors Championship.

Adrian Newey joined from McLaren as chief designer for 2006 and Red Bull swapped to Ferrari engines. Coulthard managed a podium at his "home" race in Monaco prompting Christian Horner to jump naked, other than wearing a red cape, into a swimming pool.

Christian Klien, who shared the car with Vitantonio Liuzzi in 2005 and Robert Doornbos in 2006, departed the team for 2007 and was replaced by Mark Webber. The RB3 was the first full "Newey" car and was coupled with a Renault motor. The car was very unreliable, suffering from a variety of different problems but Webber managed a podium at the European Grand Prix and the team finished 5th in the WCC.

Retaining the same engine and drivers for 2008 Red Bull slipped back to 7th in the WCC and again only managed a single podium, for Coulthard in Canada, but the reliability issues which plagued the car the previous season were mainly resolved.

2009 was Red Bull's break through year. With Coulthard having retired Webber was joined by Red Bull junior driver Sebastien Vettel. The new rules allowed Newey to design a car which challenged for both the Drivers and Constructors Championship. Webber won 2 races, Vettel 4 and the team climbed to 2nd in WCC taking 3 pole positions en-route.

In 2010 Red Bull justified Mateschitz's investment winning the Constructors title and Vettel the Drivers Championship. They won 9 races through the season, 5 for Vettel and 4 for Webber and took 10 poles. Webber led the title race for much of the season but it was the 23 year old Vettel who stole the title in the last race of the season and became the youngest Champion as a result.

2011 sees the team retain the same driver line up as 2010 and continue with Renault engine power in the new RB7 car.

 

[Slyboogy]

Webber's had his chance twice, he's failed to deliver.

If any driver was paired with Alonso or Hamilton and had those chances while failing, I doubt there would be much discussion.

 

[Greenlantern101]

Webber is a great driver one of the best, but he doesn't have that (pardon the phrase) x-Factor that makes good drivers world champions. Massa is the same and I would have to say some world champions have lucked into their WDC with a far superior car. Damon Hill and Jenson Button to name but two. Good drivers in a fantastic car. Some drivers have that extra something, the hunger, the killer instinct. ....Being fast sometimes ain't enough....unless you have the fastest car.

 

[RasputinLives]

I'll be honest I don't rate Webber much higher than I would Jarno Trulli. He spent most of his early carear being passed around the midfield teams consistantly punching above his weight in quali just to get a bad start and fall gradually down the field. In fact Alonso's very first win came from Webber grabbing pole at Hungry, fluffing the start and being jumped by Fernando and then holding the rest of the field up whilst Alonso scampered into the distance.

People talk about drivers 'lucking in' well if not for the rule regs shuffling Red Bull to the front I think Webber would have always stayed in that good but not good enough midfield role. His 'second career' has been a blessing for him and to give him his credit there have been races where he has looked unbeatable but they are very few and far between and I can't help and and wonder if another driver would have made more of the oppotunity.

Webber is to Red Bull what Massa is to Ferrari. I don't see much difference in them currently.

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

Yep... Webber has failed to deliver... only three Constructors titles for RBR... was in the WDC to the last race in 2010... won both has Monaco and Silverstone twice... consistently banks results in compromised cars... rather than binning it ..or melting some component...

Why he was not replaced with Alguesari as soon as Jaime showed everyone is FIGJAM tramp-stamp tattoo I just don't know...

 

[RasputinLives]

Whilst I appreciate the humour thats not exactly what I said and also depends on how you look at things. Personnally I saw him throw away a championship he should have won and get so anhilated by his team mate the following season that although his record shows he helped his team win a constructors championship in actually fact his team mate pretty much won it on his own and the ultimate embarrasment that season was his team mate having to pretend to be stuck in gear to gift him a victory.

I compared him to Massa and as you quoted stats at me I'll say the Massa came even closer to winning the championship, Has won 3 constructors and has to put up with even more team bias than Webber does and I would say he's relatively still on a par with him. So why if we go over to the Massa thread is it full of people saying Ferrari need to get rid of him yet all I hear about Webber is how unlucky and hard dine too he is? Not only that but Massa whinges a lot less too.

As for the comment about Alguersauri. No I don't think they should have put him in. He's not as good as Webber. Like I said Webber is a best if the rest driver and that doesn't mean I think he's a bad driver. I just think others would have made far more of the oppotunity he lucked into.

 

[teabagyokel]

A lot of drivers have been part of teams to win Constructors' Championships - Tambay, Arnoux, Berger, Patrese, Herbert, Frentzen, Irvine, Salo, Barrichello (on 6 separate occasions!), Fisichella, Massa and Webber.

That's hardly a list of greats, is it? Middle-of-the-road to a man!

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives

I'll agree with you on Webber.. he has the scheming Flavio Briatore to thank for putting him at Red Bull

No doubt Flav earned 25% from placing Webber and a bit from giving them Renault engines

I agree Webber is a top best of the rest driver ... down below Button in my opinion

He just always seems to find horrendous luck when he appears to enter a purple patch of form ...some his own making and some his team

What I don;t agree with is one person at Red Bull says they are team of equal opportunities ( Horner) and then someone else making noises in the background ..if you don;t improve I've got people ready to replace you - Helmut who clearly loves Vettel

----------------------------------

Comparing it with Ferrari situation - not too dissimilar but then Ferrari don;t try and hide it that Alonso is their man..well certainly not after Germany 2010

 

[Il_leone]

Slyboogy

Maybe because they love an underdog like Webber

As for his failings he did fall away alarmingly second half of 2012... I don't deny it . Helmut does seem to take every opportunity to take a potshot at him with a gun / a knife behind his back to improve or be sack each year before the season starts

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

No-one could argue that Webber is one of the top four drivers in F1.... but he hardly "lucked" into a seat at RBR... given he joined when they were hacking around the midfield... and they have kept him...

RasputinLives ... I agree that there could be a few young drivers out their that could have posted as good or better performances than Webber... but I don't know how many young drivers out their could have dealt with the politics at RBR and the fact they would be considered a #2 driver, but told they weren't... and still performed ... as for his whinging... I would suggest most of what he says about the team / team mate / etc has a tactical or strategic purpose... he played Seb like a violin in 2010 and nearly stole a WDC ... sure he binned it at Korea in atrocious conditions... and both he and Alonso failed at Abu Dhabi when no-one could pass anyone on track... if he had won that championship how many would be calling him the luckiest WDC since Jenson Button fell backwards into a rocketship ... talk about someone lucking into a championship winning car eh ?

It seems that RBR value his performance and development skills otherwise they wouldn't keep bringing him back... he also keeps the heat on Vettel since if Seb is off a little in qually he is usually starting behind the #2... and then we usually get a whinge about a missed apex or someone baulking him... if anything, it would appear Webbers second half of the season drop off's take place (coincidently or not) after he signs another one year deal... and I would hazard a guess that the big man over at RBR who signs the cheques relates to a tough aussie fighter of a driver who enjoys extreme sports more than the pint size winfinger... probably to Helmuts distaste... but not that it should matter too much, they have cleaned up the last three years... it wouldn't suprise me somewhere along the line that over the past couple of months that Webber and Helmut had a chat with Helmut learning a few choice new Australian adjectives... about himself... "that's right glassy ... you heard it right the first time mate"...

teabagyokel ... I guess if you describe multiple F1 race winners as middle of the road then you are spot on ... I don't think they could all be world champions ... but it would seem that the formula for WCC success is a WDC caliber driver with a best of the rest wingman...

At the moment I think he is the "best of the best of the rest wingman"... ... but then if Mika Salo puts on the helmut again..... WATCH OUT

 

[RasputinLives]

I think we'll have to agree to disagree with this one. People say he's a tough aussie fighter and then as soon as he's struggling in a race he's on the radio complaining about other drivers (I know he's not the only one). I still think his attempt to tie Grosjean to the stake and set him on fire was out of line too and his jumping up and down about Makdonado at abu dhabi made him come across like that guy from Holy Graol "She turned me into a toad........I got better though"

By lucked it by the way I mean none of the top teams ever decided to go for Webber as their driver to go for titles with. He signed for a midfield team who suddenly got shuffled to the front. Something that doesn't happen that often in F1. In fact Red Bull are the first team to jump to the front and stay there since the Enstone did it in the late 80s.

 

[mnmracer]

By lucked it by the way I mean none of the top teams ever decided to go for Webber as their driver to go for titles with. He signed for a midfield team who suddenly got shuffled to the front. Something that doesn't happen that often in F1. In fact Red Bull are the first team to jump to the front and stay there since the Enstone did it in the late 80s.

Isn't that the same with Jenson, who was only signed by McLaren after 2009 (his 10th season)?

 

[Kewee]

Isn't that the same with Jenson, who was only signed by McLaren after 2009 (his 10th season)?

No it's not. Buttons and Webbers career paths have been very different. Jenson was pushed and shoved in directions he wasn't happy with and it's reasonable to say he was wanted by one of the top teams at the time. Ultimately he deserves credit for breaking free from the situation he found himself in and committing and remaining loyal to BAR through the worst of times. His loyalty was finally rewarded deservedly. The McLaren position was very much earned and has benefited both parties.

 

[mnmracer]

I'm sure Webber was also not happy with the teams that were interested in him, but you have to ask yourself, why did that happen? If he was so extra-ordinary, surely he would have been picked up earlier. It's not like there haven't been plenty of (sub)top teams changing drivers in those years.

 

[Kewee]

During the course of Webbers career there have never been more than three top teams, the third of those has changed periodically. That provides three seats for the top three drivers. No one is suggesting Webber is top three but being in the top five consistently proves beyond doubt he's a very good driver that deserves far more credit than many, you included, give him. It's an absolute fact that Red Bull have developed their car to suit Vettels driving style. The fact that Webber has achieved the results he has in a car that has not been developed around him speaks volumes.

 

[RasputinLives]

Williams, Benneton, BAR, Honda, Brawn, Mclaren is a better CV than Minardi, Jaguar, Williams, Red Bull IMO especially when you consider that Jenson helped push a midfield team to its heights (Honda 2004 and 2006) and even scored a victory before landing the dream drive where as I don't think you can say the same on Webber. The occasional amazing grid slot and decent result but nothing like the consistancy that Vutton had.

Also when Button found himself in the unbeatable rocketship he won the title and Webber didn't.

 

[Kewee]

I also rate Button above Webber and have said so in a previous posting but I don't consider that reason to criticize Webber. Any driver that qualifies in the front half of the grid, in other words the top twelve are the best we ever see at any one time. Even that is probably not giving enough credit to another half dozen drivers following along behind them.

 

[RasputinLives]

Like I've said I give Webber credit as a best of the rest driver but wouldn't rank him in the current top 8 on the grid. The original post was all about the fact I think its only common sense for Red Bulk to be shaping their car around Vettel when he's clearly shown he is the superior one in the line up.

 

[mnmracer]

First, let's get some facts straight: last year by Mark's own admission, the car and the season's upgrades suited him better then they did Vettel.

Comparing midfield teams doesn't answer why it took Button 10 years (conveniently just after winning the WDC) to land a drive in a top team. He was at Renault, yet they preferred a rookie Alonso and Trulli to ol' younge Jense. The fact BAR kept him on for 8 years says as much as Red Bull keeping Webber.

Giving credit for "being better than anyone not in the top 8 drivers" is like saying "I don't think (insert driver) is a bad driver, he is certainly better than the drivers in GP2." >8th is not giving Webber credit.

 

[RasputinLives]

Red Bulk is a better team name.

Can I just state for the record my typos are down to posting on my phone and having stupid fat sausage fingers.

 

[RasputinLives]

it isn't? I guess its giving him more credit than the people I don't rank in the top ten
.