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.

 

[RasputinLives]

True, though in Ferrari's case both drivers have been given equal equipment and opportunity, Alonso has simply earned his status within the team by outclassing Massa. Even with the infamous, "Alonso is faster than you", all Massa needed to do to counter that statement was increase is pace. He wasn't able to so he surrendered to Alonso.

Oh dear. Is that how you really view the situation? You honestly believe if Massa had speeded up Ferrari would have got on the radio and said "oh your faster now Fellipe - off you go". Hmmmm. Did you know the word gullable isn't in the english dictionary?

Anyways - back to Red Bull - Yes it has become clear that Red Bull did benifit from various rule/wing bending but I can't say it comes as a shock to me. Can anyone name me a time someone has dominated a season and a year or so after stories haven't come out about all sorts of devices on the car?

Seb had a superior car yes but lets face it he maximised it in a way a lot of drivers just wouldn't.

 

[teabagyokel]

Kewee - Webber has had far more opportunity to succeed at Red Bull than Massa has at Ferrari.

 

[MCLS]

Agree with teabagyokel, After all, going into Brazil in 2010, most would say he had a better chance of getting the title than Vettel

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

Hmmmm. Did you know the word gullable isn't in the english dictionary?

But gullible is.

 

[Kewee]

Oh dear. Is that how you really view the situation? You honestly believe if Massa had speeded up Ferrari would have got on the radio and said "oh your faster now Fellipe - off you go". Hmmmm. Did you know the word gullable isn't in the english dictionary?
.

Not sure who's being gullible. There's a difference between playing favorites and favoring the driver most likely to win a championship. Even in 2008, despite having Raikkonen, the then current world champion driving one of their cars, he was expected to play back up to Massa's bid for the title. Unfortunately whenever Alonso's name is mentioned some people smell a rat, I don't. The point I was making was if Massa hadn't been backing Alonso up into Vettel the call wouldn't have needed to be made and wouldn't have been made.

 

[Kewee]

Kewee - Webber has had far more opportunity to succeed at Red Bull than Massa has at Ferrari.

Of course he has. He's been consistently far closer to his teammate in qualifying and race pace than Massa has to Alonso at Ferrari.

 

[Slyboogy]

True, though in Ferrari's case both drivers have been given equal equipment and opportunity, Alonso has simply earned his status within the team by outclassing Massa. Even with the infamous, "Alonso is faster than you", all Massa needed to do to counter that statement was increase is pace. He wasn't able to so he surrendered to Alonso.

I don't like bringing up this point, but I feel that I should.

It was reported that Massa's engine was turned down, while Alonso's was up, for those laps that Alonso was 0.9s ahead, Massa then picked the pace up a little and increased that gap, and then he got the call not once, not twice, but three times, from what I remember being reported.

 

[Kewee]

Slyboogy......Yes I read the same report. If this was true I have to ask myself why. I don't believe for one moment it was done simply so Alonso could make the pass. Once Alonso did make his pass Massa was unable to stay with him and despite the fact he finished 5sec's in front of Vettel for a while at that point in the race Massa's second place was under threat. There are many reasons to turn an engine down and to be honest nothing was said on the reputable motorsport sites to suggest this had happened anyway. Mind you it was another opportunity for some to spread a bit more tar over Alonso.

 

[teabagyokel]

They did it because Alonso had a better chance of winning the Championship than Massa. It was maybe a little early, but it was a pragmatic and sensible decision.

 

[Speshal]

Mod comment - this is the Red Bull thread, not the FIFTY thread.

 

[Brogan]

Red Bull are starting to look a little ordinary, aren't they?

The superior downforce they enjoyed in previous seasons is sorely lacking and showing up the shortcomings in the car.

Were they really just a one trick pony after all?

 

[Fenderman]

Running out of Newey inspired wheezes, methinks.

 

[Josh]

You can't stay #1 forever. Though they're still leading the WCC so not that ordinary

 

[Johnny Carwash]

2012 is becoming a barren year for them compared to the previous few years.

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

Singapore and future races will reveal how the car is performing...

* Renault power is known to be well behind Mercedes and Ferrari

* Alternator issues are a source for serious concern (at least on the #1 side of the garage)

* Thin gauge rubber used at Spa and Monza could have negated a key RBR strength

http://plus.autosport.com/premium/feature/4773/mclaren-fastest-but-stage-set-for-a-classic/
"The thin-gauge Pirellis introduced for Spa and Monza seemed to be very robust – and also allowed pretty much everyone to be able to switch them on immediately. The strong forecast is for a one-stop race. Thinner gauge rubber would be expected to be easier both to get up to temperature and then not to overheat and it's interesting that Button's re-invigorated form should have co-incided with the introduction of this rubber. It may also be that this has taken a key Red Bull advantage away for these two races. More evidence for these theories may come in the next races as we revert back to the standard gauge. "The Red Bull had the best balance of tyre use front to rear of anyone at Spa," said Pirelli's Paul Hembery, "and I'd be amazed if it wasn't right in the thick of things here."


The last two races could have exaggerated the difference between the RBR and the field

I actually think McLaren need a huge pat on the back for sorting out their car

 

[sportsman]

Not that suprising really.F1 has always been cyclical.Ferrari had some fifteen lacklustre years.Williams have had dominant years and equally poor years.
Newey,brilliant as he is has turned out a couple of mediocre cars in his career previously.
This could be applied to virtually any team on the grid.Next year Red Bull could be dominant again or they could have a couple of lean years.
Although if you call winning the WCC a lean year as they look likely to do that's none to shabby in my eyes.

 

[Il_leone]

the achilles of the Red Bull - lack of straightline speed...seems odd given they prefer the high downforce set up but leaves them sitting ducks on the straights

eventually whatever advantage one team has is eroded by rule stability

 

[ExtremeNinja]

...or clarification.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Okay blame the bloody track then that'll do...

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/102454

 

[siffert_fan]

As Frank Williams always said that, given the choice, he would always prefer to win the WCC than the WDC, I don't think RB is doing too badly this season.