In building on the success of last year’s championship-winning car, the mission for Red Bull Technologies engineers was to marry the field-leading pace of 2010’ RB6, while dealing with the new technical regulations. “What we have done is taken the philosophy of continuing evolution. We have evolved RB6, which itself was an evolution of 2009’s RB5, and this is, if you like, the third generation of a successful lineage” explains Newey. But the RB7 may well have suffered due to the teams development being focused on the RB6 until much later than usual. The very tough run in to the 2010 World Championship which resulted in the teams first title.
The RB7 in roll out spec is as Newey claims a clear evolution of the RB6, abeit with the addition of Pirelli tyres, KERS and an adjustable rear wing.
Despite its understated roll out specification the RB7 has substantial updates to come including a highly complex exhaust solution. But already the marker has been laid down with the new car fastest after the first test day finished.
Melbourne
Chassis: RB7-03 “Kinky Kylie” (Vettel)
Chassis: RB7-02 (Webber)
Once again Adrian Newey has caught out the Formula 1 engineering world. Whilst many copy principles of his RB5 and RB6 designs, he decided to drop KERS from the RB7 at Melbourne. It didn’t do anything to dent the cars performance, nothing came close to the RB7’s laptimes at Albert Park. A dominant victory was inevitable and thats what happened, however much as Newey designed cars are famed as fast they are also famed as fragile. Mark Webber’s RB7 seemed no match for that of his younger team mate, and the Red Bull motor sport director Helmut Marko told German television station RTL that “he had some problems with the chassis. With him, neither the hard nor the soft tyres really worked. His tyre wear was also significantly greater than Sebastian’s.”
Team Principal Christian Horner added, “unfortunately things didn’t work out for Mark at his home grand prix and we need to understand why. We took a slightly different strategic route with him running the harder tyre second, as his degradation seemed to be higher than Sebastian’s. It’s something we need to look into on Mark’s car, as it was an unusual difference between them this weekend that we don’t normally see. I’m sure that will be back to normal for Malaysia.”
The RB7 ran with two versions of its rear bodywork in Melbourne, testing a version with a very large exit (above) before opting to use a smaller outlet in the race (below).
At Melbourne the RB7 was fitted with a revised exhaust layout which first appeared in preseason testing.
These layouts are a big step forward from the launch spec version (below) which was far more conventional. The RB7 layout looks likely to set the trend for the 2011 season with at least two other teams developing similar layouts. Note also the revised brake duct winglets
Sepang
Chassis: RB7-03 “Kinky Kylie” (Vettel)
Chassis: RB7-02 (Webber)
Red Bull remain the team to beat. Once again RB7-03 driven by Sebastian Vettel topped the podium. But the achilles heel of the RB7 reared its head again, its KERS is very unreliable. The system on Webbers car failed on the installation lap whilst Vettel was advised to not use his after his second pit stop.
The RB7 front wing endplates have been revised since the season started with a slightly simpler version (above), launch version (below).
Shanghai
Chassis: RB7-03 “Kinky Kylie” (Vettel) Q: 1 R: 2
Chassis: RB7-02 (Webber) Q: 18 R: 3
The RB7 still struggles with a KERS problem, when it works it seems to not be as good as the systems from Mercedes or Ferrari. A strategic error saw Mark Webber bumped out of Q1.
Christian Horner, Team Principal said after the race: “After losing out a little bit at the start by dropping behind both McLarens, we elected for Sebastian to go onto a two stop strategy. It nearly paid off for us and we got within four laps of making it work but, ultimately, he just didn’t have enough grip to defend that podium place. Second is still a fantastic result and means a lot of points, which are well deserved. With Mark, we effectively ran his race in reverse starting on the prime tyre and running a three stop strategy. It was a phenomenal recovery by him to get onto the podium, so an awesome job and strong pit stops from the team. We had one scare when Jenson stopped in our pit box at the first stop, but overall it is a very strong team result.”
Istanbul
Chassis: RB7-03 “Kinky Kylie” (Vettel) Q: 1 R: 1
Chassis: RB7-04 (Webber) Q: 2 R: 2
It was a fairly crushing performance from the Red Bull RB7’s at Istanbul, finish first and second. The team brought an update kit to the race including a new front wing though Vettel destroyed his in Free Practice 1 after losing control of the car. Mark Webber had a new chassis for the race replacing RB7-02 with the new RB7-04.
Christian Horner, Team Principal: “A fantastic team performance. It was a very busy race with a four-stop strategy, perfect pit work and a great performance by Sebastian to take what was, in the end, a dominant win. Mark had a bit more on, dropping a place on the dirty side of the grid at the start, but then his recovery was excellent. He worked the tyres really hard to get past Nico Rosberg and then came under pressure from Alonso, dropped a place to him, but kept calm. We had a new set of primes for the last stint and Mark really made them work, resulting in a great passing move to achieve our first one-two of the year. All compliments to the team, it certainly exorcises the demons from last year and I would like to thank all our partners for their fantastic support.”
Barcelona
Chassis: RB7-03 “Kinky Kylie” (Vettel) Q: 2 R: Winner
Chassis: RB7-04 (Webber) Q: Pole R: 5
Once again Red Bull were beset by KERS issues, with both drivers having only intermittent access to their systems throughout the race weekend. Despite this both cars were untouchable during qualifying, showing just how much speed the RB7 has in reserve. Come Sunday the team struggled to match their qualifying pace and Vettel had a fight on his hands to keep Hamilton at bay. Meanwhile tyre strategy placed Weber behind Button and he could only match his pace, denying him a possible podium finish.
Christian Horner, Team Principal: “A really exciting race. I think we were all surprised to see Fernando come through at the first corner in first position and that changed the dynamics of the race. He didn’t have great pace at the front and it boxed the rest of them up behind. We managed to undercut with Sebastian, but couldn’t do it with Mark because Ferrari could see what we were doing. It was a combination of team-work and strategy. Sebastian had to make the passes on Jenson and Massa to make his strategy work, it was a real risk, but he went for it and made it happen, which is what it’s all about. Unfortunately for Mark, he spent the first half looking at Fernando Alonso’s exhaust and to get him ahead in the end we did a dummy which they fell for. Otherwise it was frustrating for Mark and the complete result would be to have him right up there as well.”
Monaco
Chassis: RB7-03 “Kinky Kylie” (Vettel) Q: Pole R: Winner
Chassis: RB7-01 (Webber) Q: 7 R: 4
Red Bull looked to be the dominant force leading up to the race, with Vettel setting a blinding pole lap, however, come race day and it took all of the team and driver’s cunning and guile to hold off the cars of Button and Alonso. Interestingly Weber switched back to chassis #1 having previously run chassis #4 in Spain.
Christian Horner, Team Principal: “A phenomenal drive by Sebastian today. We had a communication problem with the first stop, which affected both drivers as they were both stopping on the same lap. It delayed Sebastian, but we managed to re-adjust our strategy. We didn’t panic and managed to engineer ourselves out of the situation to get him back into the lead. He then had an awfully long way to go on the harder tyre, which he made work. He soaked up huge pressure from Fernando and Jenson and then our hearts were in our mouths when the accident happened just in front of him. But he picked his way through that and, with the benefit of the option tyre, was able to have a bit more comfort in the remaining laps after the re-start. It was a classy drive from Sebastian today and a tremendous team performance to recover from what looked to be a difficult first stop to win the race. At one stage Mark was 15th after the first round of stops, but he never gave up and kept on pushing through. He pulled a great move on Kobayashi on the last couple of laps who’s not an easy guy to pass and it was a shame not to have him on the podium today, as he deserved to be there.”
Montreal
Chassis: RB7-03 “Kinky Kylie” (Vettel) Q: Pole R: 2
Chassis: RB7-04 (Webber) Q: 4 R: 3
A practice accident did nothing to temper Vettel’s qualifying pace, with the RB7 once again ending up on pole. Meanwhile Mark Webber received a new chassis, RB7-04, to replace RB7-01 which he has raced since the start of the season. During the race Vettel looked set to secure the win, but was pressured into a mistake by hard charging Jenson Button.
CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “After a long afternoon and to have pretty much led every lap of the race, it was obviously frustrating to lose the Grand Prix almost in sight of the chequered flag. Jenson was very quick in the closing stages of the race and Sebastian was fighting very hard to keep him out of the DRS zone, as we could see how powerful that was. Unfortunately Sebastian made a rare mistake on a day when a lot of drivers made a lot of mistakes. He paid a price, but second is still a very good result and far from disastrous. We got a lot of points and Sebastian’s only 14 points off a maximum score after seven races, which is an achievement in itself. I think Formula One provided tremendous entertainment this afternoon. Mark battled his way back through the field and had a great duel with Michael; he put in an excellent drive to join Sebastian on the podium, so from a team point of view to get a second and third on a day when neither Fernando nor Lewis scored, is still a very good afternoon’s work. Hats off to the guys who stood in the rain for an hour and a half today waiting for the re-start, hopefully there won’t be too many with colds in the morning.”
Valencia
Chassis: RB7-03 “Kinky Kylie” (Vettel) Q: Pole R: 1
Chassis: RB7-04 (Webber) Q: 2 R: 3
Christian Horner, Team Principal: ”A fantastic team performance with first and third and a lot of points today. It was a tight race with Fernando all afternoon, both our drivers had good starts running one and two initially, then Fernando was able to use the DRS to get ahead of Mark. Mark managed to get back past him through pit stop strategy and then stay ahead, as it evolved into a three stop race. Unfortunately at the last round we just didn’t have enough to stay ahead of him with Mark to get the one-two, but a one-three is still fantastic. Sebastian drove another immaculate race and has consolidated his lead in the Drivers’ Championship. It was another great haul of points today for the team and it was great to have Mr. Mateschitz here to see the Red Bull cars both on the podium today.”
A new nose and front wing were employed at Valencia with the under nose fins being moved backwards to a new location (and shape) under the chassis. The Ferrari style long wing supports were introduced in Montreal
Silverstone
Chassis: RB7-03 “Kinky Kylie” (Vettel) Q: 2 R: 2
Chassis: RB7-04 (Webber) Q: Pole R: 3
Christian Horner, Team Principal:”fter a very interesting race that initially started very well for us on the intermediate tyres, second and third is still a very strong result at this circuit, considering everything that has gone on this weekend. Unfortunately we had a rear jack failure on Sebastian’s second pit stop, which cost him a lot of time in the pits and dropped him behind Fernando. Having said that, Fernando was very fast today, but at least we would have had the track position going into the latter stint. Having run second early on, Mark had an issue at his second pit stop, but he managed to re-pass Hamilton with a brave move into Turn six. In the closing laps and with the two cars going wheel to wheel, from a team point of view it made absolute sense to consolidate a big haul of points today and not risk having both cars in the fence, which nearly happened to Lewis and Felipe on the last corner. From a team point of view it’s been a very strong day – we gained 33 points and both drivers are now first and second in the Drivers’ Championship. On the exhaust issue, hopefully we have now achieved clarity on this and can draw a line under it going forward.”
Nurburgring
Chassis: RB7-03 “Kinky Kylie” (Vettel) Q:3 R:4
Chassis: RB7-04 (Webber) Q: Pole R: 3
Despite McLaren and Ferrari gaining ground on the team, Mark Weber was still able to pip his team mate to the pole, with Vettel having to settle for 3rd. During the race, Vettle struggled with traffic, while Weber could match but not beat the Ferrari and Mclaren.
Christian Horner, Team Principal:“A fascinating race – obviously three and four from one and three on the grid isn’t really the result we were looking for, but its still a lot of points for both drivers. We got Mark into the lead at the first pit-stop with the undercut, but unfortunately on the second stop the undercut didn’t prove as powerful as we hoped and he dropped back to third. We looked at going longer on the last stint, but ultimately P3 was as much as we could achieve at the end. Sebastian had a spin early on and flat spotted the tyres quite badly, so we went as far as we dare with him and then he spent a lot of the race looking at Massa’s gearbox. It all came down to a race in the pit lane and our boys did a phenomenal job, nailed a fantastic pit stop and leap-frogged the Ferrari. There was a bit of excitement there and I think, as Sebastian said on the radio, he owns P4 to them today.”
Hungaroring
Chassis: RB7-03 “Kinky Kylie” (Vettel) Q:Pole R:2
Chassis: RB7-04 (Webber) Q: 6 R: 5
CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “I think it was a really tricky race today, especially with the conditions. Initially we led, then Lewis became very quick and we dropped a couple of places to the McLarens, we then started to recover pace to them and completed some good pit stops. The decisive point was opting to use the prime tyres at the final stop to get to the end, which put Sebastian in really good shape. Then the rain arrived and for a couple of laps it was marginal whether to stay out or to pit. Arguably, for a couple of laps, inters was the right call and Mark decided to pit for them – we decided to take the brave decision to leave Sebastian out and in the end it came right, the rain held off and P2 is a positive result for him. Unfortunately for Mark, he lost some places with the penultimate pit stop for the intermediate tyres – without that, he would have been on the podium today, which is a shame. But, there’s no crystal ball in those conditions and it could have been a decision that won him the race. It was frustrating to lose a position to Lewis in the closing stages, with back markers not really assisting matters, but Mark came back at him pretty strong in the final seven laps. The team now head into the summer break with an opportunity for a very well-earned rest, before returning, fully revitalized, for Spa at the end of August.”
In Budapest Red Bull experimented with front wing designs, trying to get the best balance on the high downforce circuit. The launch spec thin wing support re-appeared (above) and the under nose turning vanes were fitted in place of the under chassis versions used at preceding races.
Spa-Francorchamps
Chassis: RB7-03 “Kinky Kylie” (Vettel)
Chassis: RB7-04 (Webber)
CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “A fantastic team result – a one-two in Spa and our first ever victory here, it’s phenomenal for the team. Sebastian made a good start, but Mark looked like he got the anti-stall and dropped down the order. Having damaged our tyres in qualifying, we had some concerns about them going into the race based on a lack of knowledge after all the wet running this weekend. So, we were conservative with the strategy opting to stop Mark on lap three and Sebastian a lap or so later. More than anything we wanted to see how the tyres were behaving. We put Mark onto the prime tyre at that point and we could see, fairly early on, that it was performing well. At the safety car we pitted Sebastian for another set of options, which worked out well for him. After a radio issue, Mark stayed out on the prime, which was still looking very strong at that point. Sebastian then got his head down and conserved the tyres when he needed to, pushed when he needed to and closed out a very satisfying victory – which was backed up by Mark who hunted down Fernando in the closing laps and passed him. It rounded off a great weekend for the team; it’s a lot of points in both Championships and we have extended our lead in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ at a circuit which we have not previously won at – so it’s a fantastic day for Red Bull.”
At Spa Red Bull were noticed using a new system aimed at maintaining tyre temperature whilst the car is stationary in the garage. In the past systems for this were banned by the FIA after Toyota used a device to warm the wheel rim in 2005. But Red Bull seems to have found a way of circumventing this ban by using a pre-heated metal doughnut inside the ‘cake tin’. It heats the friction material in the brakes but has the side effect of keeping some heat in the core of the tyre. The team also revised the brake duct winglets and flow conditioners.
The RB7’s were fitted with a low drag wing for the dry weather (above) running but in the rain a steeper angle was employed (below).
Monza
Chassis: RB7-05 (Vettel) Q:Pole R: Win
Chassis: RB7-03 “Kinky Kylie” (Webber) Q: 5 R: DNF
CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “A phemonenal race today. To win in Monza is a dream come true and it was a really dominant performance by Sebastian today. We had great pit work, strong strategy and Seb made a really brave overtaking move to retake the lead from Fernando after the safety car. Thereafter it was a very controlled and well executed race. Unfortunately Mark’s race came to a premature end after contact with Felipe Massa. The front wing was tucked under the car on the approach to Parabolica, when Mark was trying to get back to the pits as quickly as possible. It prevented him from being on the podium today, but I’m sure he will bounce back in Singapore. It was a great day for the team and a phenomenal result at a circuit which, on paper, wasn’t our best. Very sadly, we lost a team member earlier in the week, Erin Pezzella, a young lady who has been with the team for four years. She lost a very brave fight against cancer and we would like to dedicate this result in her memory today.”
Red Bull’s Monza aero update raised eyebrows, with some questioning how it could be done within the constraints of the RRA. The Monza only rear wing hardly had any angle with the DRS open (above).
Singapore
Chassis: RB7-05 (Vettel) Q:Pole R: Win
Chassis: RB7-03 (Webber) Q: 2 R: 3
Sebastian Vettel claimed yet another victory in Singapore, despite pressure from Jenson Button late in the race. In terms of sheer pace, the RB7 was still on top, however, Buttons determination and fuel saving strategy saw Vettel’s lead eroded to just 1.7 sec a the finish line, down from a steady 13 seconds theoughout the race.
CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “It was a big performance today to win the Singapore GP. It’s one of the stand-out venues of the calendar with a really unique atmosphere and it’s probably the toughest and most demanding race for the car and the drivers physically, due to the hot and humid conditions. Sebastian was faultless today; he was truly dominant in the first half and in managing the race to the end; not taking any risks to record his ninth win of the season. Starting from the left-hand side of the grid, the dirty side, Mark lost out as others did on the run to the first corner, but thereafter he had a really good race with Fernando and we seemed to be lighter on the tyres than the Ferrari today. He managed to pass Fernando twice and then our strategy worked to the end of the race. On top of that I think we also had the fastest pit stop of the day, so a truly great team performance that puts Sebastian within one point of achieving his second World Championship. However, that said, it doesn’t change our approach as we head to Japan.“
Suzuka
Chassis: RB7-05 (Vettel) Q:Pole R: 3
Chassis: RB7-04 (Webber) Q: 6 R: 4
CHRISTIAN HORNER, Team Principal: “Firstly, it’s phenomenal for Sebastian Vettel to win his second World Championship. He’s driven magnificently this year and thoroughly deserves this Championship victory, which he has dominated since the first race in Melbourne. It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work and team work and he can be very proud of what he’s achieved. This now places him amongst an elite group of drivers who have realised not only a double Championship – but back-to-back World Championships. The race today was a tight one, we seemed to lose time in the pit lane today – perhaps with our positioning at the end of the pit lane, but nonetheless Jenson drove a strong race and congratulations to him. Third and fourth is still a strong haul of points for the Constructors’ Championship and we have consolidated our lead of 130 points. However, today belongs to Sebastian.”
CYRIL DUMONT, Renault: “Of course I’m more than happy today! I think we’ve got a magic Vettel this year, last year was already fantastic, but this year he was simply incredible, this small guy! He really earned it; he just never stops working and is always pushing a lot – so it’s richly and well deserved. I’m really happy for him and all the people that are at Renault. We just need to finish the job in the coming races by getting the Team Championship also.”
A curious feature of the Red Bull RB7 has emerged, when the team is making set up changes at the front of the car, wing settings for example. It also changes the bolts holding the nose in place. This is not a straight swap however, the team seems to have specific bolts for specific setups, suggesting that each bolt set is for a specific range of aero loads. The more conspiratorial amongst us suggests that this is all to do with the front of the car flexing, but it simply could be something much simpler. What is certain is that Red Bull’s mechanics take great care that the right bolts are used for each setup.
The team brought yet another iteration of its front wing to Suzuka, and the soon to be world champion Vettel smashed it up in practice. A replacement was rushed to Japan and fitted in time for qualifying. It features a much simplified endplate with only two pieces – compare the above, with the old version below
The ongoing development of the RB7 saw the team douse the brake ducts and front wing with flow vis dye in practice. Team boss Christian Horner told Racecar Engineering the much of the data from the RB7’s races at the moment is being directly into RB8.
