The Red Bull Racing Story: 2005-2012

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The Red Bull Racing Story…

Video Copyright © Red Bull Racing

Red Bull Racing Announce Four-Year Extension Of Infiniti Partnership

Newly-crowned Constructors’ Champions Red Bull have announced a new four-year extension of their partnership with Japanese car manufacturer Infiniti, which will see the Austrian outfit enter an expanded partnership with the brand. This will see the team officially rebranded as Infiniti Red Bull Racing for the 2013 season and beyond.

The extension of this partnership between the two companies will see Red Bull and Infiniti enter a much closer and technologically focused relationship, as Infiniti will begin to work alongside Red Bull on numerous engineering and development projects. The partnership between the two companies began back in March 2011, which initially started out as a purely commercial relationship. However, the relationship is now set to increase much further.

“Red Bull Racing and Infiniti have been working on a number of initiatives since the start of our relationship in 2011.” Explained Red Bull’s team principal, Christian Horner. “During that time, Infiniti has demonstrated significant technical prowess and I’ve been impressed by the depth of the wider engineering capabilities of the Nissan Motor Company. In terms of marketing, Infiniti has leveraged their involvement with Red Bull Racing and Formula One extremely effectively to become much better known in a short space of time. These two attributes make Infiniti the ideal title and technical partner for Red Bull Racing.”

Red Bull’s Chief Technical Officer, Adrian Newey, is understandably thrilled with the new extension in Infiniti’s relationship will Red Bull. The technical mastermind of Newey, who has designed Championship winning cars for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, believes the manufacturer’s new technical partnership will greatly assist the teams future technical projects, especially those which come into effect from 2014 and beyond.

“Formula One presents immense design and engineering challenges on a daily basis.” Said Adrian Newey, “Having a committed technical partner like Infiniti gives us a great platform for working together on technical projects, such as the Energy Recovery Systems for the 2014 season.”

Red Bull Racing have remained a indomitable figure throughout the world of Formula 1 since their first victory at the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix, a season which first saw the might of the Milton Keynes-based outfit as the team and Sebastian Vettel became locked in a season-long Championship battle with the Brawn GP of Jenson Button.

Since then, the team have won three successive Constructors’ Championships, becoming the first team to win their first three Championships in a row. This new deal could well propel for the team new heights of dominance, as they continue to remain competitive at the front.

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Red Bull Struck With Alternator Conundrum

Red Bull’s alternator issues returned during the United States Grand Prix weekend, after the Milton Keynes-based outfit elected to remain with the old-spec Renault alternator. Since a disastrous weekend in Monza back in September, where Sebastian Vettel was struck twice by alternator issues, Red Bull have fallen back on their old spec.

However, with supply of the old spec alternator running low, Renault introduced the new-spec alternator to other teams on the grid at the United States Grand Prix. However, Red Bull insisted on sticking with the old-spec component for the race. Whilst Red Bull returned to their dominant ways whilst using the old version, Renault have been updating the troublesome newer-spec. To make sure such alternator issues did not return to plague the Austrian team, Renault carried out numerous tests on the component.

Despite Renault’s recent updates to the new-spec alternator, Red Bull chose to remain using the old spec, however their mechanical gremlins returned on Lap 17 of the United States Grand Prix when Mark Webber initially lost KERS and then suffered an alternator issue. This was the Australian driver’s first retirement due to issues on the car since the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix, when brake issues forced him into retirement. Mark Webber and the team are understandably worried with regards to the recurring alternator issue, with the all-important season finale next weekend at Brazil

“It is just a worry, full stop,” explained Christian Horner. “Unfortunately it is the third alternator [failure in a race] that we have had, and obviously there have been other failures in other cars. We need to get it back to look in to it. I think the new version has raced on other engine cycles [at other teams], so hopefully that is what we will have for Brazil.”

However, Red Bull will bid the old-spec alternator farewell for this weekend’s grand finale around Sao Paulo’s Interlagos circuit. Since the newly-crowned Constructors’ Champions refused to use the newer-spec at Austin, the team will be hoping that the updated component will be fully reliable as Sebastian Vettel strives to secure his third Drivers’ Championship. Renault’s head of trackside engineering, Remi Taffin, explained that Red Bull’s decision in Austin was simply a case of going with what they knew, rather than taking a leap into the unknown with the updated alternator.

“Because they are human beings and at some point as humans they have some feelings.” Explained Remi Taffin to Autosport after the United States Grand Prix. “It was a common decision, so we put everything on the table and we decided altogether we should go that way. We had everything to fit either the old or new design. But the feeling was generally that there is some sense to keep on using something that we have known for years with low mileage and stuff like that, even if we had a new solution that we knew had gone through all the tests.”

Red Bull will therefore be hoping that the updated design of Renault’s alternator proves to be reliable next weekend at the Brazilian Grand Prix. The Interlagos circuit has proven in the past to produce many mechanical issues on the car, largely due to high altitude of the circuit and the fact that it is the final race of the season, when cars and components tend to be nearing the end of their working life. Red Bull will be hoping this is not the case this season, as they strive to secure the Drivers’ Championship with Sebastian Vettel.

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Vettel Believed A Podium Finish Was Possible At Abu Dhabi

Sebastian Vettel has explained how he believed a podium finish was a possibility prior to the start of the action-packed Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, despite starting from the pit-lane after being controversially excluded from qualifying. The reigning Champion drove the race of his life, scything through the field to eventually finish an amazing 3rd.

After starting the race from the pit lane, Vettel immediately began to overtake the HRTs, Marussias and Caterhams, rising steadily through the order to 11th before the first safety car period. It was during this stage of the race when Sebastian Vettel pitted for a new nose cone, therefore falling back through the order to last position.

However, with the German now on fresh soft tyres, he was able to once again rise through the order to 2nd by lap 31. After a second pit stop, the German battled long and hard with the McLaren and Jenson Button, eventually passing the Briton and finishing a tremendously competitive 3rd behind race winner Kimi Raikkonen and Championship rival Fernando Alonso.

Despite Red Bull team principal Christian Horner’s skepticism on a competitive result for Sebastian Vettel prior to the race, the German driver revealed how he always believed a podium finish was possible when interviewed by David Coulthard on the podium after the race.

“Yes, I did, to be honest with you.” Admitted Sebastian Vettel, when asked whether he thought it would be honestly possible for him to finish on the podium. “After the first couple of laps obviously that target was drifting a little bit away. I had a messy start to the race, which is quite difficult at the back, to get through the cars as quickly as I could, damaged my front wing.

“And then to the safety car, yeah I had a little bit of a big mistake with Daniel [Ricciardo] I think, who was stopping his car on the straights and I was very surprised. Turned to the right and… if it would have been 50m earlier, 50m later I wouldn’t have done damage to my front wing further but after that, I said to myself ‘yeah, either we go full attack or nothing’. So that’s what we did and I had a fantastic race. I enjoyed it a lot.”

If Sebastian Vettel hadn’t picked up damage to his front wing during the opening stages of the race, it’s possible that the German could’ve challenged for the victory. However, 3rd place is a sensational achievement after starting the race from the pit-lane. Although Sebastian Vettel’s lead in the Championship has been reduced by only three points, the Drivers’ Championship is there for the taking in two weeks time when the F1 paddock reconvenes for the inaugural race around the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

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Red Bull To Withdraw Vettel’s Car From Parc Ferme To Investigate Further

Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner has confirmed that the team will withdraw Sebastian Vettel’s car from parc ferme to further investigate the reasons behind his issue during qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This comes after the German was excluded from the session and sent to the back of the grid.

Due to this decision from the Milton Keynes-based outfit, Sebastian Vettel will be forced to instead start tomorrow’s race from the pit-lane. Christian Horner has explained how Renault immediately ordered him to stop Sebastian Vettel’s car on the circuit, as the reigning World Champion carried out his slow down lap after his final run during the top ten shootout. Prior to the incident, the German driver had qualified 3rd, behind team-mate Mark Webber and eventual poleman Lewis Hamilton.

“During the slow down lap following the final run of Q3, Renault instructed to immediately stop Sebastian’s car on the circuit due to an issue with the fuel system.” Explained Christian Horner, “After speaking with the stewards, who accepted the situation of force majeure for technical reasons for the car to be stopped, unfortunately, for reasons yet to be fully understood, 850ml of the required one litre was pumped out of the car following post race checks.

“As a result, the FIA has excluded Sebastian from qualifying and we will withdraw the car from Parc Ferme in order to investigate further. Therefore Sebastian will start from the pit lane for tomorrow’s race. We will need to make the most of Mark’s strong front-row grid position and Sebastian will have a busy evening ahead of him.”

With Red Bull poised to clinch the Constructors’ Championship for third year in succession this weekend around the Yas Marina circuit, the teams hopes of any major points haulage lies solely with Mark Webber, who will start the race from 2nd on the grid. With Fernando Alonso set to start tomorrow’s race from 6th on the grid, Sebastian Vettel’s 13 point lead in the Championship is most certainly under threat, with the German poised for a frenetic 55-lap race as he strives to work his way through the order.

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Sebastian Vettel Plagued With Further Alternator Issues During The Race

Sebastian Vettel’s Italian Grand Prix was brought to a premature end on lap 47 by yet another alternator issue on his Renault-powered Red Bull RB8, the same kind of issue which plagued the reigning World Champion at the European Grand Prix earlier in the year, and also during final practice on Saturday.

The Italian Grand Prix was one to forget for both Red Bull drivers, after Sebastian Vettel’s team-mate Mark Webber joined the German in retirement several laps later after severely flat-spotting his tyres in a spin on the exit of turn 10. Sebastian Vettel’s race was dealt a severe blow beforehand, after incurring a drive-thru penalty for forcing Championship leader Fernando Alonso off the track through turn 3. Sebastian Vettel remained coy on his views with regards to the penalty, which initially dropped the German down to order.

“I found out I had a problem roughly 300 meters before I stopped the car. It was an alternator problem, similar to the one we had yesterday morning.” Explained Sebastian Vettel, after his second retirement of the season due to an alternator issue. “The drive-through incident was decided and happened, so there’s not so much to say about that. It had been a good race for us given the lack of pace. There are not so many long straights at the next couple of circuits, so we can challenge there.”

Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner was very disappointed by the team’s first double DNF since the 2010 Korean Grand Prix, and is eager to make sure the issue is targeted and dealt with before the next race in Singapore. Red Bull’s lead over Ferrari has been shortened to only 29 points, as the Championship now moves swiftly on to Asia for the Singapore Grand Prix later this month.

“A hugely disappointing race – our first non-points scoring race since Korea 2010.” Said Christian Horner, “It was a repeat failure on Sebastian’s car with the alternator and we need to look into it and work with Renault to ensure it doesn’t happen again. It’s already cost us a victory in Valencia and now a points-finish again here in Monza. It’s important we address it for the remaining seven races.”

Whilst Red Bull remain in the lead of the Constructors’ Championship, both Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber have dropped further down the order in the Drivers’ Championship, with the duo now sitting 4th and 5th respectively. A competitive result next time out at Singapore is imperative for Red Bull, who are striving to defend both their Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships.

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Mark Webber Extends Contract With Red Bull For 2013

It has been confirmed by Red Bull that Australian driver Mark Webber has extended his contract with the Milton Keynes-based outfit, after months of speculation regarding the future of the 35-year-old. This announcement means Red Bull’s driving line-up will remain unchanged for 2013, with reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel already contracted until next season.

Mark Webber has been a Red Bull driver since 2007, after moving from Williams after two seasons with the Grove-based outfit. Since then, the Australian driver has enjoyed a highly successful career taking 10 poles, 9 wins and 31 podiums. Mark Webber has already taken two victories in 2012, at the Monaco and British Grands Prix and is currently only 13 points behind Championship leader Fernando Alonso.

“I’ve been with Red Bull Racing since 2007 and have achieved nine Grand Prix wins during that time.” Explained Mark Webber. “I’m high on confidence at the moment and firing on all cylinders. I know the Team well and I’m very comfortable here; we have grown together over the years and it feels like absolutely the right thing to stay with Red Bull for another season. It’s great to be able to make this announcement off the back of the win in Silverstone at the weekend and I’m looking forward to competing on the edge and pushing myself in every race again next season.”

Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner believes it was a logical decision to extend their partnership, especially with the Australian driver currently scoring consistent and competitive results for the team. Mark Webber has consistently finished within the points in every race except Spain, where he finished 11th. With the 2012 season highly competitive and unpredictable, consistent results could well be the key to the Championship in 2012.

“Mark has driven very well in the first nine races of this season and his performance has been impressive.” Said Christian Horner, “Much of his Formula One success has been during his time with Red Bull Racing and together we have achieved 10 poles, nine wins and 31 podiums. As there was a strong desire from both sides to continue the partnership, it was a logical decision to extend our relationship and it is with great pleasure that we confirm Mark will drive for us in 2013.”

Mark Webber has announced that he did enter discussions with Ferrari, confirming weeks of speculation that the Aussie could’ve moved to the Italian-outfit. In the end, though, his decision was to remain with Red Bull as his main focus switches to the Championship battle.

“My main focus is on this year’s Championship, which is very important.” Continued Mark Webber. “There were discussions with Ferrari, but my decision was to stay here.”

The last Australian driver to become the Formula 1 World Champion was Alan Jones back in 1980, and Mark Webber will undeniably be striving to change that fact as the Championship battle continues at the front. A bad result for Alonso and another win for Webber could well be the turning point in this highly entertaining season.

Sir Jackie Stewart Believes Di Resta Would Be Good For Ferrari

Former 3-time World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart has tipped Paul di Resta as a possible understudy to Fernando Alonso, with the former DTM driver making a competitive start to his F1 career last season. Paul di Resta finished in the points in his first two outings for Force India, alongside his then team-mate Adrian Sutil.

With Fernando Alonso’s future Ferrari team-mate currently being highly speculated, with the visible demise of Felipe Massa, many drivers’ including Sergio Perez, Paul di Resta and even Mark Webber have been linked to the Italian outfit. Lately, speculation of Mark Webber one day joining Ferrari have begun to gather momentum, however both Christian Horner and Dietrich Mateschitz have denied these allegations.

“Paul di Resta would be a very good target for Ferrari,” said Sir Jackie Stewart, “Alonso probably has the best toolkit of knowledge and physically is one of the best drivers in the world. Alonso is almost at his peak and to have a young driver such as Di Resta be an understudy to Alonso is something I’d consider if I was at Ferrari.”

Paul di Resta’s highest finishing position so far in 2012 was 6th at the Bahrain Grand Prix, and apart from China the Scot has finished in the points in every race this season. In a season which has been highly unpredictable and competitive, Paul di Resta and team-mate Nico Hulkenberg will have their work cut out to try and come out top of the midfield teams in 2012.

With Ferrari allegedly having made ‘enquiries’ with Force India regarding his current contract with the Silverstone-based team, it seems a potential move to Ferrari for di Resta is more than just speculation. If Paul di Resta does race for Ferrari next season, he’ll be the first British driver to do so since Eddie Irvine back in 1999, who nearly won the World Championship in the same year following a season-long battle with Mika Hakkinen and Heinz-Harald Frentzen.

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New Red Bull Exhaust Design Legal Insists Horner

With only 7 days remaining until the first practice session of the Australian Grand Prix, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has insisted that the new exhaust design on the RB8 is legal. This comes after many of their rivals up and down the grid have questioned its legality, calling for Charlie Whiting to scrutinize the design further.

The exhausts on the revised RB8 are situated as far forward as possible, so as to assist airflow around the “coke-bottle” section of the car. Along with this, slots on the rear of the floor of the chassis have also been discovered, which has increased rival teams suspicions that Red Bull could well be trying to direct the exhaust flow into the area of the diffuser, a feature that has been banned by the FIA for this season.

During pre-season testing, Red Bull mechanics were often seen covering up the rear of the car, creating suspicions as to what the team may be hiding. However, this tactic has been used by the team before, which means Red Bull could well be hiding nothing and simply be playing mind games with the opposition.

Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, has insisted the exhaust design (which is reminiscent of Sauber’s and McLaren’s design) is legal: “We are happy that we comply with the regulations,” Christian Horner said to AutoSport. “Ultimately it is a matter for the scrutineers and the FIA, as they have more knowledge and sight. Teams only ever get to see photographs; the FIA gets to see the cars close up in reality.”

With a disastrous end to pre-season testing, which saw Red Bull suffer mechanical issues and incidents, the last thing they need is their exhaust design to be deemed illegal by the FIA. 

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