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.

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

He's spot on that this was terrible timing for RBR to try this stunt. All the teams were more than willing to go along with the plan that allowed for a tolerance because they didn't need to call unnecessary attention to the fact that these fuel flow sensors are not perfect. Why they thought they had to pull this in the first GP is hard to fathom. All of this technology is in its infancy and instead of going along with the rest of the paddock they decided to steal a march on everyone with the only possible outcome that the FIA, the supplier, and themselves would end up looking bad.

But the irony of a formula goverened by the FIA that can ban you for having a fraction of a millimeter too much or too little on some part or spacing of the car can't get fuel flow right .... about as important as four tyres and a steering wheel ... we are not talking about some cosmic space age futuristic concept developed by NASA here that you could accept teething problems with ... flow metering is not exactly a new thing ....

What we are talking about is an FIA preferred vendor ... who cannot supply a consistent product into the pinnacle of motor racing in 2014 ... for which the FIA has shuffled paperwork out and about to C-Their-A on ... and RBR have called BS ... I have no doubt that if it was Merc, McLaren, Ferrari or Williams that was excluded on the same basis their would be an appeal ... there is no ground to be gained by ANY of the teams acceding to a faulty FIA mandated component that costs you points, money and credibility ... it is a PR clustertruck for the FIA ... and one they brought upon themselves ...

We will have couple of races before before the appeal is heard ... we can only hope the manufacturer can figure it's product out so that there isn't another team lodging an appeal for an exclusion based on dodgy calibration ....

 

[The Artist.....]

ZakspeedYakspeed

I suspect there would be an appeal, but it's the fact that if the public were to become aware that they had been warned repeatedly during the race, then the same response would be meted out on them!

Furthermore, the fact that Mateschitz is trying to wave his Bratwurst about saying "We'll withdraw if blah blah blah" just makes it even less likely for people to offer any sympathy!

 

[KekeTheKing]

RBR have called BS

And one has to wonder if this was truly necessary for an outfit that has won the last 8 titles awarded. After just a single GP. By shoving this in the FIA's face all they had to gain was a P2 from their No. 2. I believe they've already lost a great deal more in the court of public opinion.

 

[teabagyokel]

I have no doubt that if it was Merc, McLaren, Ferrari or Williams that was excluded on the same basis their would be an appeal ... there is no ground to be gained by ANY of the teams acceding to a faulty FIA mandated component that costs you points, money and credibility

But it wasn't. Because they did.

 

[Plutus]

ZakspeedYakspeed

I suspect there would be an appeal, but it's the fact that if the public were to become aware that they had been warned repeatedly during the race

Warned that the data the FIA had been receiving was showing that Red Bull exceeded the fuel flow limit but according to Red Bull data proved to be wrong.
Blog Zdob pointed it out, it is only a TD therefore it was not mandatory for Red Bull to follow the stewards warning and apply an offset.

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

But it wasn't. Because they did.

Yet ........

 

[Greenlantern101]

Horner has outlined his whole argument.

The World Champions argument centres on the wording of the FIA's Technical Regulations with Article 5.1.4 stating "Fuel mass flow must not exceed 100kg/h". However, as it does not say that this reading has to come from the FIA's sensor Red Bull feel they can use their own measurements to prove they did not breach the regulations.

http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/1...ull-are-extremely-confident-of-winning-appeal

yup, good luck with that.

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

And one has to wonder if this was truly necessary for an outfit that has won the last 8 titles awarded. After just a single GP. By shoving this in the FIA's face all they had to gain was a P2 from their No. 2. I believe they've already lost a great deal more in the court of public opinion.

Maybe ... but F1 is all about results and momentum (no pun intended) ... and if they have proof that they complied to the reg's but broke a TD specifically created (imho) to alleviate the FIA's embarrasment in not being able to supply a key piece of consistently calibrated equipment ...

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

ZakspeedYakspeed

I suspect there would be an appeal, but it's the fact that if the public were to become aware that they had been warned repeatedly during the race, then the same response would be meted out on them!

Furthermore, the fact that Mateschitz is trying to wave his Bratwurst about saying "We'll withdraw if blah blah blah" just makes it even less likely for people to offer any sympathy!

The "we will reconsider" PR placed article / interview is just positioning ... dominant and consistent winners in F1 are typically despised by all and sundry ... swings and roundabouts ...

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

Horner has outlined his whole argument. yup, good luck with that.

"I think the problem with the Technical Directive is that as we have seen in the Pirelli tyre case or the double diffuser days, that the directive, as it now states on the bottom of the directive, is the opinion of the Technical Delegate - it is not a regulation, it is not regulatory, it is purely an opinion."

So the argument will be ...

FIA Tech Delegate: here ... look at our data ... it shows they exceeded the regulated limits ... lotsa times...

RBR: here is our data ... it shows we didn't ... here are plots from the entire weekend that prove this point ... oh by the way here are the discrepancies in the FIA sensor we also plotted and were acknowledged by the FIA TD ...

Court of Appeal: FIA TD ?

FIA TD: um .... well ....

Court of Appeal: What say you ?

FIA TD: Look ... OK ... it isn't perfect ... and it wasn't just RBR that had dodgy readings ... but all the other teams just accepted it ... and well ... I have an army of trained koala's that I can now take with me around the world to manage this process ... and a whole lotta gum leaves in storage ...

 

[F1Yorkshire]

The issue isn't the faulty sensor. It's the fact that Redbull ignored the request of the race director and carried on regardless. He has no case!

 

[The Pits]

So if the red bull appeal is upheld, can we expect all the teams to rip up the book marked "technical directives" and just do what the hell they like?

 

[teabagyokel]

The Pits - Simply put, yes.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Just because I am taking the piss at RedBulls threat of leaving and saying they or being childish doesn't mean I agree when Ferrari have done exactly the same thing that sort of behavior is simply ridiculous I never heard McLaren threatening to leave when they got clobbered in 2007 they just took it on the chin and got on with it.

Of course if RedBull left then that would mean the end of Toro Rosso as well probably, actually RedBull seem to be playing the part of "Mini-me" to Ferrari....

 

[Titch]

How many other teams were warned during the race? Does anyone know? It would make a difference to the way FIA have reacted.If other teams were warned, then obviously they reacted to the warning, as no one else has been penalised. If RBR are the only team who have decided to ignore FIA it makes them very arrogant.

 

[no-FIAt-please]

I know Mercedes were warned, they must have heeded it and took action. RBR are daft for not doing the same.

 

[Mephistopheles]

I'm not sure about during the race but they were all warned before the race and seems only one team decided not to heed that warning...

 

[Plutus]

Why don't we just all sit back and wait for the court to decide?

 

[Mephistopheles]

I've been thinking that as well but then I thought well actually they have already been found guilty so it's not like we are judging them before the trial, and then I think no lets just wait and see as all the arguments have been done to death on both sides now....

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

The issue isn't the faulty sensor. It's the fact that Redbull ignored the request of the race director and carried on regardless. He has no case!

The issue that will be discussed is (a) did they break the regulations ... and if we assume they didn't and can prove it it then becomes a case of (b) how enforceable is this TD ... if the request of the race director was based on faulty / incorrect information...

The FIA have only themselves to blame for this situation ...