Red Bull's rise to the top

When Red Bull Racing burst onto the Formula One scene in 2005 – taking over the lacklustre Jaguar team – they didn’t take themselves too seriously. They were the fun team; they explored untouched territories in the sport with their parties, sponsor deals and ‘Energy Station’ which gave them an cool vibe.

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There had never been a team quite like it but being fun didn’t bring them much success initially, something they only did when they found their more serious side. There was plenty of talk prior to their race debut that they could challenge for the front with their huge investment and spending figures. It took time to fit together. Ahead of my trip to Red Bull Racing’s Milton Keynes factory for their #OPENHOUSE event, I take a look back at their rise to the top.

The Red Bull brand has been in the sport for longer than you might think. They sponsored mid-field team Sauber between 1995 and 2004 before they decided to take over the struggling Jaguar team for 2005 after it was put up for sale by Ford at the end of the 2004 season. On the final day of sale the drinks company stepped up to the plate. Ford asked for a US$1 payment in return for a promise to invest US$400 million into the team for the first three seasons. They certainly fulfilled that promise.

For their debut year the team hired Christian Horner to head the operation and recruited David Coulthard and Christian Klien to drive the cars. The 2005 machine, named the RB1, continued to be powered by the Cosworth engine and in comparison to Jaguar’s bow out year it was a huge success – much to my surprise. It may not have been what they wanted but it was a striking improvement over what had been a poor run of form in their previously green colours. Despite not scoring a podium finish in their first season, the team managed to score a double points finish in their first race after Coulthard and Klien crossed the line in fourth and seventh respectively.

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The season spawned three more double points finishes along with a number of other strong results which saw them score a round total of 34 points overall – finishing seventh in the constructors. The driver line-up stayed the same for 2006 but that was the only real stability - it was all change elsewhere. Ferrari was recruited as their engine supplier and Adrian Newey – the legendary car designer – was poached from McLaren. Despite the initial changes, the year brought considerably less points in comparison to their debut season which was disappointing. They did score their first podium in but they never managed to score a double points finish and they scored zero points in the final five rounds.

The 2006 season also saw the debut of their junior team called “Scuderia Toro Rosso”. The team took over the Italian Minardi squad and kept their factory in Italy. For the first few years, the team used modified versions of Red Bull’s chassis from the previous year until 2010 when they debuted their first independent car. Cosworth powered their first year before Ferrari took over until 2013. The team’s main aim was to develop young drivers for future moves to Red Bull, the main success story being Sebastian Vettel.

However Vettel was nowhere to be seen come the start of the 2007 season which was a step in the right direction – largely due to Adrian Newey’s input starting to trickle down into the car. Renault engines powered the RB3 and they recruited former Williams racer Mark Webber to strengthen their line-up. There’s no doubt that the added experience helped them develop the car. Whilst point’s finishes were rare, they were often for strong results. They scored another podium courtesy of Webber at the European Grand Prix along with a fourth place and two fifth place finishes for Coulthard. Geoff Williams joined the team part way through the year which helped then net fifth place in the constructors that year, the rise was starting.

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2008 saw the team make continual steps forward with driver duo Coulthard and Webber. It proved to be the formers final year in the sport and whilst he only managed two points finishes, Webber found more success and scored the bulk of the teams 29 points that year. They dropped back down to seventh in the constructors but progress was being made. With a new era about to commence, could they make a breakthrough?

Boom. The answer was yes. Red Bull Racing cemented themselves as true title challengers in 2009. Adrian Newey put his genius to good use with the dramatic new regulations that helped them leapfrog former leaders Ferrari and McLaren. It was odd to see the more established teams struggling and two newer teams – Red Bull and Brawn GP – moving to the fore but it really showed how changing the rules can shake the pack up. They also recruited 2008 Toro Rosso star Sebastian Vettel to the team which propelled him into the spotlight. Despite a slow start to the season with a tally of nil-pwa, they managed to take their debut 1-2 finish and win in China just three rounds in to the season. They scored five more wins along the way and Vettel was the closest rival to 2009 champion Button when the final chequered flag flew at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Despite missing out on both titles, a tally of 153.5 points was a considerable improvement over their past results.

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The only way was up for Red Bull and that is exactly what happened a few months later as the 2010 season kicked off. With the ever improving Sebastian Vettel at the helm, it was a stunning and titanic title battle between himself, Alonso, Webber and Hamilton that went all the way down to the final round in Abu Dhabi. It was a close one, that’s for sure, that had the whole F1 paddock in suspense as it could have gone either way. The fact that he led the world championship for the first time at the last round – when it counted – proved what a competitive year it was. Red Bull Racing triumphed in the constructor’s championship too thanks to Webber’s strong mid-season run. They scored nine race victories over the season and failed to score a podium finish for either car at just four rounds. Whilst Vettel took the title by just four points, Red Bull dominated the team championship and won by 44 points due to the poor performance of their nearest rival’s second drivers (cough, Massa, cough.)

That advantage could only be extended. That’s exactly what happened in 2011 when Vettel romped to a dominant drivers title win to become the youngest double world champion. As a team they went on to score over 150 points more than they did in the previous year – mostly thanks to Vettel’s 11 wins contributing to 275 and the rest of his results contributing to a further 117 points. However it wasn’t like the racing was boring because of it. The mid-field action was intense and Vettel was often left alone out front. Whilst it may have been quiet for him during the race, it proved how controlled and mature he was for a driver of that age. Webber scored 258 points but it was some way short of his team-mates with just one win over the course of the season. However the Red Bull era was in full flow and they had reached the top.

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From the dominance of 2011, the 2012 season returned to the close call similar to that of 2010. However it was a battle between two drivers, Vettel and Alonso. After a dramatic season finale, Vettel took his third consecutive title by just three points with the help of five race wins – four of which came consecutively. He had a strong end to the season as Red Bull Racing continued to push their development of the car and as title rival Alonso dropped back. Whilst Webber did score two race wins it was a lowly sixth place in the drivers’ championship for the Aussie due to three finishes outside the top 10 and two retirements late in the season. However he still fared better in comparison to constructors rivals Ferrari’s second driver Felipe Mass and hence it was another title for the Red Bull Racing team.

It was a rather dramatic and sudden rise to the top for Red Bull. They took advantage of the tricky 2009 regulation changes to switch up the order and move out of the midfield – helped by the staggering amount of money being invested by Red Bull – and they currently still sit first in the championship in 2013 (after seven rounds).

It takes pieces like this to remind me just how far they have come. It’s easy to forget the earlier struggles and only focus on the more recent success. I think one obvious key component for their recent success has been Adrian Newey. He arrived for the 2006 season and we saw that his 2007 input really helped the team progress. 2009 saw the biggest impact of Newey’s contribution by capitalising on the new regulations to give them a good baseline for the upcoming seasons. 

The Milton Keynes factory is in full flow and to “capacity” starting their 2014 machine and continuing to develop their 2013 car. It should be fascinating to have a tour of their HQ and to see where the magic happens – I can’t wait!