The defending champion is here – and with him the starting number 1! Red Bull unveiled its new RB18 for the 2022 Formula 1 season on Wednesday afternoon, aiming to build on the successes of the previous season when Max Verstappen won his first world title against Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi.
But the new year sets everything back to zero. With the new regulations, Red Bull no longer has the advantage of last year, but the goals of the team around Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez are clear: best to defend the drivers’ title and finally end Mercedes’ streak with the constructors after eight titles in a row.
As usual, the racing team has hardly changed anything in terms of paintwork, but something has happened at the forefront of sponsorship: US tech giant Oracle will be the new title sponsor of the team in 2022, which will officially start as Oracle Red Bull Racing. Red Bull did not have a title sponsor after Aston Martin left after the 2020 season
Bolide completely renewed
The car itself has of course been completely overhauled as a result of the new regulations. However, the vehicle presented is only a basic model, as motorsport consultant Helmut Marko revealed in advance: “The presentation, which is important for fans and sponsors, does not yet show any special details on the car,” said the Austrian to “Sport1”.
The successor to the RB16B should only be ready shortly before the test drives (officially shakedown) in Barcelona, which will begin on February 23rd.
Red Bull will continue to develop its car after that, so a significantly revised car should be on display at the start of the season in Bahrain.
Red Bull can still count on Honda
It will only become clear at the start in Sachir whether the car will also be the hoped-for title contender, but the exciting world championship fight in 2021 can hardly be surpassed – and it doesn’t have to be if Max Verstappen has his way: “You can’t have this drama every year, that’s for sure,” he told The Guardian. “It’s not good for me, it’s not healthy for everyone on the team, for both teams.”
Nevertheless, he sees himself better positioned for 2022, at least mentally: “The little pressure in the back of my mind to have to win a world championship or to try is gone,” he says. “I did it, so if it’s difficult or you’re unlucky, it’s probably easier to deal with than usual.”
You can still count on the support of engine partner Honda, although the Japanese have officially left Formula 1 after 2021. Originally, it was planned that Honda would help its partner temporarily at least until 2022 and continue to produce the engines on its own before Red Bull Powertrains took over.
But Red Bull was able to convince Honda to stay until the end of the current engine cycle: “The engines will be manufactured in Japan until 2025, we will not attack them at all anymore,” Marko recently confirmed to the Austrian “Autorevue”. At least there is consistency on this construction site.