 |
| Base: |
Milton Keynes, UK |
|
| Drivers: |
D Coulthard |
|
M Webber |
|
| Test Drivers: |
S Buemi |
|
|
| Chassis: |
RB4 |
| Engine: |
Renault RS27 |
| Tyres: |
Bridgestone Potenza |
| First Season: |
2005 |
| World Championships: |
0 |
| Highest race finish: |
3rd |
| Pole Positions: |
0 |
| Fastest Laps: |
0 |
|
History
Red Bull now has all the ingredients in place to succeed in Formula 1.
Design ace Adrian Newey has settled into the team, and ex-Williams and Honda man Geoff Willis has been brought in to help channel his genius.
Drivers Mark Webber and David Coulthard bring experience, determination and plenty of speed, while power comes from Renault's title-winning engine.
And while its budget is certainly not the largest in the paddock, parent company Red Bull ensures that its racing arm has the finance to succeed.
F1 teams cannot be transformed overnight, however, and Red Bull is still in something of a building phase.
Its 2007 car was fast but extremely fragile, and the first target for the new season is to improve reliability.
The team is confident that it is now on top of the problem, which cost it crucial development mileage last year.
It is not a question of if Red Bull succeeds in F1, but when.
Although 2008 may be too early for the major breakthrough, expect the team to keep climbing the grid throughout the year as it harnesses its obvious potential.
F1 track record
A long-time motor racing sponsor, Red Bull first floated the idea of running its own F1 team in the early 2000s, and when Ford decided it could no longer justify its investment in Jaguar, the energy-drink company emerged as the most likely buyer.
Jaguar had been launched in a blaze of hype and publicity in 2000 but singularly failed to deliver, frustrating parent company Ford.
Ironically, as the funding was reduced and the team's future became ever more uncertain, Jaguar's performances actually become more respectable – largely due to the efforts of the plucky but beleaguered staff, and a determined driver in Webber.
The new owners controversially ousted respected Jaguar men Tony Purnell and Dave Pitchforth, and installed Formula 3000 team boss Horner, who became comfortably the youngest team boss in F1.
Horner quickly proved himself by leading the new team to a commendable seventh in the championship at its first attempt.
And signing McLaren reject Coulthard proved to be a shrewd move, as the experienced Scot took a shock fourth for Red Bull in the team's first ever race.
Such performances raised expectations for 2006, which turned out to be a much more difficult season.
It didn't look so bad on paper, for RBR remained seventh in the championship and Coulthard took the team's first podium in Monaco.
But that one-off result was a blip in a run of uninspiring midfield performances, and there was little of the giant-killing that characterised Red Bull's 2005 campaign.
Misleading figures meant that the team underestimated how much cooling its new Ferrari V8 would need.
The bodywork had to be altered to prevent overheating, and this badly compromised the aerodynamics.
The 2006 season was soon written off, and the focus switched to the start of the Newey and Renault era in 2007.
A best-ever fifth in the constructors' championship was a positive start for the new package, and it would have been even beaten but for the reliability problems that cost Red Bull abundant points.
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