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.

 

[FB]

Just read about this on Motorsport.com. Horner has denied it, Helmut Marko says it's a possibility. Who to believe?

 

[cider_and_toast]

Hmmm, the Audi rumour won't go away, Red Bull have let their star designer spread himself across other projects, the team have lost the driver who they built everything around. I'd say it was a real possibilitiy. They came, they saw, they won 4 titles. Jobs done.

Will they continue to run STR ?? That's the next quiestion.

 

[Bill Boddy]

It is only a drinks company anyway.

Just another example of a team who were at the top but have had one not that bad season decides that the cost is no longer providing the benefit, so they walk. Remember that when another team does get to beat Mercedes as they surely will.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

It did take RBR a fair while, and more importantly money, to get to the top though.

 

[siffert_fan]

The declining spectatorship numbers might be contributing to them entertaining thoughts of going elsewhere. RBs primary targeted market segment is younger and they seem less interested in F1 than older generations. Perhaps it's partly because it costs too much to attend a race for them to get hooked. Live participation in the race and its surrounding atmosphere is far more involving and addicting than tv viewing will ever be.

 

[siffert_fan]

I really don't see what Audi would have to gain by joining F1. Endurance racing has enhanced their reputation incredibly, and I cannot envision them putting that at risk by joining F1. Plus, the cost difference between the two forms is more than a little large, so the cost-benefit ratio would not be as favourable. The only previous exposure of the corporation to F1 in the modern era was the TAG-Porsche engine which, while very successful, I don't think did a great deal to enhance Porsche's reputation.

 

[Brogan]

Smacks of toys being thrown out of the pram to me.

http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/1...ten-to-quit-f1-unless-regulations-are-changed

They were happy enough when they were blatantly flouting the rules and getting away with it.

 

[cider_and_toast]

I want to see one of the commentators ask why they weren't so vocal about rule changes 3 or 4 years ago. Sorry Red Bull fans but I think, once Renault failed to provide them with the goods last year, this was inevitable.

 

[siffert_fan]

Leaving aside the massive egos involved (and F1 is LOADED with them), I think a large part of their whining is due to the continual declining of viewers, both in at-site attendance and on television. That reduces the exposure they are getting for the dollars expended. And remember, they have no real connection to the automotive industry, so just as soon as it no longer makes economic sense for them to be there, they will leave.

 

[RasputinLives]

Just as the manufacturers jump out the sport as soon as they are not getting the image and PR they want from it so will a massive global organisation like Red Bull.

By 2020 I don't expect Red Bull or Mercedes to be in the sport if I'm honest. As for Audi coming in....well I'd rather they wouldn't as they'll only leave when it doesn't word. Can't we have Stewart back.

Manufacturers please make engines for racing teams to use. Fizzy drinks companies please sponsor racing teams and have your name printed on the side of the car. Ot us a system that used to work very well until the huge money market made everything change.

 

[Bill Boddy]

As long as no-one bows down to their blackmail threat it will be fine, they can go.

 

[siffert_fan]

The problem is, who will take their place? F1 is so expensive now that private teams like: Jordan, Stewart, Surtees, Wolf and Rob Walker are no longer possible.

Do we, therefore resign ourselves to ever-diminishing grids? What inducement is there for new teams (with huge budgets) to join? The dollar-value return is not particularly favourable right now IMO.

 

[Bill Boddy]

When Mr Ecclestone starts to see declining income he will have to do something. Hopefully he will do that by enabling more teams on the grid by redistribution of revenue.

I'm not holding my breath though.

 

[Road of Bones]

If Red Bull were to pull out (presumably flogging off the Race Team in the process), then I believe the coffers of FOM would be boosted to the tune of €70m per annum, which is the current annual "friends of Bernie" sweetener payment that RBR receive for helping dissolve FOTA - not to mention whatever stringent penalty payment that the Bolt would also extract for them ceasing to be one of his "special buddies", of course. Perhaps, in a fit of altruism, his Eccleship might be persuaded to disburse this windfall amongst the minnows... oh look! Is that an airborne porcine mammal?

It's all a monumental bout of dummy-spitting and toy-dispersal really though, from a team who can't quite believe that the boot has switched to the other foot so swiftly, and have apparently forgotten that F1 is cyclic. It is all really rather unseemly and distasteful - you would never see Frank or Patrick moaning in public about unfairness, they'd just jolly well pull their collective socks up (ok, Frank would have someone do it for him) and work a bit harder. It has, after all, taken them 12 years to claw their way back towards the front - one hopes that it won't take quite as long for McHonda...

 

[Il_leone]

siffert_fan Endurance racing is a cheaper series to run but also the revenue and marketing opportunities are not as rewarding

F1 is expensive but also can reward teams richly if they get to the front.. trouble is manufacturers tend to not like being also ran and would quit rather than flush money down the toilet like HOnda, Toyota and BMW proved

 

[Il_leone]

Road of Bones All Christian Horner is proving is i) He is a manager who does not know how to deal with crisis situation

ii) He aint anything without Vettel and Newey so it seems

 

[Kewee]

Christian Horner and Helmut Marko just sound pathetic. Yes Ferrari have also threatened to walk away but never have and I don't believe they ever would. Their periodic threats are just a game they play to stir things up a little. Marko and Horner should take a long hard look at McLaren and learn what commitment and a true love of F1 is. McLaren entered F1 in 1966 and never once, despite also having some difficult years, have ever threatened to walk away from the sport. That commitment deserves respect and Red Bull need to wake up and realise you will always have off years in this sport and behaving like spoilt children will never win them friends.

To ad to what I've just said most of their problem lies in the fact they're not an automotive company and therefore their motives for competing are based solely on promotion of Red Bull not a love for the sports automotive history unlike Ferrari and McLaren and also Williams.

 

[cider_and_toast]

As you've written in your last paragraph, comparing Red Bull to McLaren is like comparing chalk with cheese. McLaren were founded by a racer, have an ingrained racing heritage and are now an established low volume sports car manufacturer.

Red Bull are a global drinks brand. They want their name to be associated with high energy, high action sports as part of their market position.

Of course McLaren are unlikely to pull out as it's what they do and what they know. By pulling out of F1 where would they go and what would they do?

Red Bull on the other hand, much like Mercedes, Renault, Honda etc could pull out tomorrow and no one would bat an eyelid. Just another brand who got what they wanted and then moved on.

It's not that I want to defend Red Bull as I believe there withdraw from the sport within the next few years is inevitable. I can't stand Horner and think he's being very hypocritical. I just wish he'd acknowledge that fact. At the end of the day though, the squeeky wheels get the oil so it's no wonder they are shouting their asses off at Red Bull HQ.

 

[Kewee]

The danger with Red Bull pulling out is we would also lose Toro Rosso, which would take four cars off the grid. The one thing that may save the situation a little is if Renault buy one of the Red Bull owned teams, it is rumoured that Renault want to be more than just an engine supplier again. Renault owning their own team can only be good for F1, their history goes back to winning the very first Grand Prix, way before the modern era. I think people would be very concerned if Mercedes or Honda withdrew. For Mercedes to re-enter F1 after withdrawing from motorsport in 1955 is huge and it would be a huge loss if F1 can't hold on to them. The same applies to Honda with its rich history at the highest level in the US as well as Europe. It's probably fair to say F1 needs Honda for any future growth in America and obviously their involvement is huge for Asia also. At present F1 only needs Red Bull for numbers on the grid.

 

[Kewee]

cider_and_toast ..... One question you asked regarding McLaren that I didn't answer. What would they do if they pulled out. There would be other very good choices that would suit McLaren very well. Sports Car racing, the Le Mans series is just one option. They could enter a variety of top level series including the US scene. F1 is still the pinnacle but it's looking very vulnerable at present and other options could become very attractive to McLaren and other teams also. They certainly wouldn't be left with nowhere to go, but as I said in my first posting and the point I was making, they deserve credit and respect for their commitment to F1.