Red Bull Racing unveils 2012 F1 car

Red Bull Racing has just unveiled is title-defending RB8 racecar in Jerez. For now we have just two studio images of the most eagerly awaited car in F1. Already we can see the RB8 features the now ubiquitous ‘platypus’ style nose. Click on the pics to view them at 4000px.

The RB8 appears to bring something new to the 2012 nose fad in the form of a small air intake, of sorts, where the nose steps up. Is this an indicator to a further hidden design breakthrough from Adrian Newey?

Probably not, as Newey explains, “The restriction nose height which is a maximum height just in front of the front bulkhead hasn’t really changed the chassis shape very much. We’ve kept more or less the same chassis shape, but had to drop the nose just in front of the front bulkhead, which, in common with many other teams, has led us to I think I’d probably say a slightly ugly looking nose. We’ve tried to style it as best we can, but it’s not a feature you would choose to put in were it not for the regulation.”

Team Principal Chrisitan Horner says building the RB8 progressed smoothly over the winter break.

“This year’s car build has gone fantastically well, and I think it’s the epitome of continuity, continuity across all areas. I think we’ve designed and built this car in a record amount of time, in a ridiculously short amount of time,” said Horner.

“Adrian’s never famous for his drawings being early, but the design team, the production teams, all the associated departments that go into producing these cars, have delivered, and delivered in a fantastic way. We’ve hit our target of being at the first test so, despite the snow over the latter part of this week, I think we’re in great shape for the first test.”

While Mark Webber gives a bit of an insight into what he’s hoping to find when he tests the RB8 later today.

“The characteristics of the RB8 we’re looking for is a car that’s very driveable which means not only from an engine side, Renault are doing a good job there, but also aerodynamically we need a car that’s functional on all circuits in all temperatures and clearly we need to get the best out of the tyres which was a huge thing last year for everybody,” he said.

Full Q&A interviews with Newey, Horner, Webber and, of course, defending World Champion Sebastian Vettel can also be viewed after the break.

We’ll add more pics from the launch and test sessions in Jerez as they become available. You can download the team’s 2012 press kit (3.0mb PDF) direct from the Red Bull website.

[Studio pics: David Clerihew/Red Bull Content Pool]

RB8 – TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

• Chassis: Composite monocoque structure, designed and built in-house, carrying the Renault V8 engine as fully stressed member
• Transmission: Seven-speed gearbox, longitudinally mounted with hydraulic system for power shift and clutch operation. AP Racing clutch
• Wheels: OZ Racing, Front: 12.0in x 13in diam., Rear: 13.7in x 13in diam.
• Tyres: Pirelli
• Suspension: Front: Aluminium alloy uprights, carbon-composite double wishbone with springs and anti-roll bar, Multimatic dampers
  Rear: Aluminium alloy uprights, carbon-composite double wishbone with springs and anti-roll bar, Multimatic dampers
• Brakes: BBrembo calipers, Brembo carbon discs and pads
• Electronics: FIA (MESL) standard control unit
• Fuel: Total Group

Renault Engine RS 27—2012

• Number of cylinders: 8
  
• Capacity: 2400cc
  
• Max rpm: 18,000rpm
  
• Number of valves: 32
  
• Vee angle: 90 degrees
  
• Power output: Not disclosed
  
• Engine construction: Cylinder block in cast aluminium
  
• Engine management: FIA FIA (MESL) standard control unit TAGTAG 310B
  
• Oil: Total Group
  
• Weight: FIA minimum weight of 95kg

Christian Horner—Team Principal

Four world titles in seven seasons is an impressive achievement. What has been the reason for this?
The main reason for our achievements is teamwork. It’s quite simply the group of people that are here at Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Technology working as one unit. That’s obviously taken time to evolve, but we’ve evolved quickly. We’re still a young team and to consider the four world titles we’ve won in only seven seasons of competition is something we’re fiercely proud of and determined to add to.

What are the team’s goals now?
The team’s goals are quite simple. It’s to try and defend both titles in the manner (in which) we achieved them. Of course, when you’ve achieved what we have, particularly in 2011, we’ve set a very high standard for ourselves. But, we’re always looking to improve, we’re always looking, in all areas, to try and do better. We can’t control what our opponents do, we’re up against some formidable opponents, but we can only really focus on ourselves and only when we get to Melbourne will we truly know where we sit against our rivals.

How can Sebastian match his 2011 success?
Sebastian’s season in 2011 was quite remarkable. It was a phenomenal year for him, with a record amount of poles, 11 GP victories and only one non-finish – in every other race bar one he was on the podium. So, for him to go better than that is going to be very, very challenging. But, as a driver, he’s still evolving and he’s still getting stronger. We saw that in 2011 and I think we’re only going to see that again in 2012. You forget he’s only 24 years of age and it’s such a young age to have achieved so much. I think that, as he gains experience and as he gains knowledge and matures, he’s getting stronger and stronger.

Do you expect a bigger challenge from rivals this season?
I think on the grid this year we’re going to have six world champions, and McLaren have a strong team, they’ve got strength and depth and two world class drivers. Fernando Alonso: everyone knows his capability, and Ferrari also being a great team. We have Kimi Raikkonen coming back as well; Mercedes also look like they’re going to be competitive, so I think Formula One is set for an exciting year and at Red Bull Racing our goals and objectives are to try and stay ahead of our rivals and build on the success that we have (had) and build on the lessons that we’ve learned in 2011

How will Mark bounce back after a tough season last year?
I think the best tonic for Mark was to finish the year strongly – to win that final race, to go into the season having won the Brazilian GP. I think he’s had a very strong off-season. He’s recharged his batteries, he’s trained hard and he’s come back looking fitter and leaner than ever. He’s in strong shape for the season ahead.

Have there been any problems with building the car this winter?
This year’s car build has gone fantastically well, and I think it’s the epitome of continuity, continuity across all areas. I think we’ve designed and built this car in a record amount of time, in a ridiculously short amount of time. Adrian’s never famous for his drawings being early, but the design team, the production teams, all the associated departments that go into producing these cars, have delivered, and delivered in a fantastic way. We’ve hit our target of being at the first test so, despite the snow over the latter part of this week, I think we’re in great shape for the first test.

Can you describe what that first day of testing is like?
The roll out of a new car is always filled with great anticipation; it’s almost like going back to school for a new school year. Of course, you’re keen to see what your rivals are doing (and) of course they’re looking to protect the secrets of their car also. Pictures are scoured over; we’ll all be looking at what rivals have been doing over the winter. It’s the longest time we spend away from each other, from Brazil to the first race, but we’ll be very much focused on our own performance. We’ll be looking to sign off the first systems checks to make sure the car is performing and working in accordance with how it was designed and get those checks out of the way. We then get into testing proper, because we have a very short amount of time this year – only three tests that are split with only one car between two drivers. It’s a short amount of time and only offers a few days for each driver, before starting on the grid in Melbourne.

Tell us a little about the return of Sébastien Buemi as test driver.
Sébastien is a product of the Red Bull Junior Team, he’s had three years with Toro Rosso and he’s now an experienced grand prix driver. We decided to retain Sébastien as our test and reserve driver as he knows the team well; he’s technically very strong (and) he has that grand prix experience that is wholly relevant. He will be doing a lot of work for us this year on the simulator, conducting our aerodynamic tests and other activities, so it was a logical step for us to take him as a reserve driver – not only for Red Bull Racing but also for our sister team at Toro Rosso.

How will the team cope with such a long, 20-race season?
Twenty races is a tough season. It’s a long year. It’s going to be a challenge – there are a lot of back-to-back races. To start in March and finish in November… but I think with good planning and good preparation it should be manageable. I think it’s going to be an exciting season. Of course there will phases of strength for different teams (and) the most important thing is to be consistent over the full season. So, we will be determined to start strongly in Melbourne and finish strongly in Brazil.

How happy are you with where the team is at now?
I’m very happy with where the team is now. I think that we’ve evolved as a team, as a unit. I think we have tremendous strength and depth and I think that we’ve enjoyed great continuity over the last few years. As we’ve evolved and as departments have worked closely with each other you can see, in the detail of the car and the continuity that we’ve had in our production techniques and our development rate (and) in some of our simulation tools, that (it) all adds up to achieving the kind of team work that we strive for. I think we’re well set for the season ahead. You can never take anything for granted. We certainly don’t underestimate the quality of our opponents, but we’re going into 2012 with a lot of determination to keep the two trophies in their cabinets.

Adrian Newey—Chief Technical Officer

Does recent success add to the pressure to maintain it or lessen it, as you have continuity?
The last few years have been really good, really successful; it’s been an incredible journey to get there. It’s the fourth evolution of the RB5 this year, so obviously the pressure is to try and stay there if we possibly can. It’s a difficult task, we have lost the exhaust technology with the restriction exhaust outlet position that we were able to develop and perhaps be ahead of the pack on in the last couple of years, that led to a big re think over the winter. Whether that will affect us more than other people is difficult to know of course. We designed the RB7, last year’s car, around that exhaust position and were probably the only people to do so, so it may be that we’ve lost more than other people through that. Only time will tell, it will be good to get out to do some testing and to see where we get to.

Do you find that frustrating or more of a challenge?
Regulation restrictions like the lost exhaust are a bit frustrating in truth, because they are exactly that, they are restrictions, they’re not giving new opportunities or revenues particularly, they’re just closing a door. Regulation changes I enjoy, regulation restrictions I rather lament.

How have you coped with the removal of the exhaust blown diffuser for RB8?
RB7 was designed around the exhaust, this year knowing that the exhaust position from last year would be taken away, we’ve had to go back and look at how we developed the car through the last one and two years with the side exit exhaust and try and, if you like, make sure that the routes we had taken that were only suitable for that exhaust position we now had to re-evaluate. Probably one of the key things there is the rear ride height. The exhaust allowed us to run a high rear ride height, it’s much more difficult without that to sustain a high rear height so we have to go back down and have to redevelop the car around that lower ride height.

The other major change is the height of the nose. Did that present difficulties?
The restriction nose height which is a maximum height just in front of the front bulkhead hasn’t really changed the chassis shape very much. We’ve kept more or less the same chassis shape, but had to drop the nose just in front of the front bulkhead, which, in common with many other teams, has led us to I think I’d probably say a slightly ugly looking nose. We’ve tried to style it as best we can, but it’s not a feature you would choose to put in were it not for the regulation.

Would you say RB8 is still an evolution of RB7 or did you have to rethink many aspects?
I’d say RB8 is the fourth generation of what started with the 2009 car, the RB5.
So I guess this is the great grandson of that car.

Do you simply hate to lose or is the thing that keeps you coming back the process of solving the design puzzle created by the regulations?
I’ve been lucky enough through my career to have had a good amount of success and people often ask will I retire soon or whatever, the answer is that as long as I keep enjoying it then I’d like to keep going. What really fascinates me about it is the technical challenge, the fact that we’ve moved a very high, fast pace, so every two weeks we’re out being evaluated, which if we’re doing well is great, and if we’re doing poorly is painful, so at least you know where you are and you get to see the product of your work very quickly. So I really enjoy working with my colleagues, my fellow engineers here at Milton Keynes, with the drivers of course at the track and it’s a job that has many facets and many varieties that you always get that immediate feedback and that really motivates me about the job.

In Sebastian you’ve got a driver who seems to be getting even better. What do you expect from this season?
I think we have a great driver line up. Sebastian, obviously double World Champion now, I think matured tremendously through last year. In 2010 he drove a great season, showed immense talent and thoroughly deserved to be World Champion at the end of it. It was a rocky year, he was a very young lad, showed incredible determination and ability to learn from his mistakes. Like all people he made mistakes through that year, but he never made them twice and I think that ability to learn from his mistakes and to always be searching and trying to improve really showed in his driving last year. He really made no mistakes last year, he was aggressive when he needed to be, he was patient when he needed to be, he really showed incredible maturity and there is no reason to think that won’t continue.

And in Mark you have a driver with a point to make after a difficult 2011. Do you think Mark will find RB8 an easier task than RB7?
Mark had a rocky ride last year. Through his 2010 he had a very good season and he was unlucky in many ways not to be World Champion at the end of that year. 2011 he initially I think struggled a little bit to understand how to use the Pirelli tyres. It took a little bit of time for him to adapt to them. He’s had a great winter, he’s tremendously fit, he’s really looking forward to the start of the season and I think he’ll be one to look out for this year I hope.

Is part of what keep you coming back the process of evolving this team? Is it still a work in progress?
The team is still a relatively young team, it’s come a long way in a very short period and we had a great deal of success over the last two or three years but we still occasionally show our youth, we still occasionally make mistakes which hopefully is like the swan that looks graceful on the top but there is lot of action going on underneath. So we’re still learning, but I think the fact that we are a young team with tremendous spirit and determination is great, which means that we do learn and we do try to evaluate and to continue to criticise ourselves and see how we can improve. I would hope with the confidence of the last few years and our steady improvement, we can keep maintaining and keep learning.

How do you approach that moment of first dropping the car on track? Are you quietly confident or is there a dread of what other teams will bring?
People often ask just before the new car runs, what’s the expectation for this year and my answer is always, I have absolutely no idea. We know what we have done through the winter, we know how we have developed the car but we have absolutely no idea what everybody else has done, with the regulation changes and restrictions then it’s quite a different game to the end of last year. Have we made as much improvement as others, more, less? It’s impossible to know. There is always trepidation when we start preseason testing and preseason testing itself is very difficult to read from. If we are hopelessly uncompetitive to another team then we will probably realise it, if there’s two or three of us that look broadly similar then it will be very difficult to pick actually who is the quickest out of those. So it won’t be until we get to Melbourne qualifying that we’ll really get more of a feel for it.

Finally, how does the OBE feel?
To be recognised by the Queen with an OBE is very flattering, I’m particularly proud of the fact that it’s for engineering achievements. I think so often engineers in the UK are overlooked and that’s a shame given our proud roots through the Victorian area of developing industry and technology engineering. I feel real pride actually that I’ve been awarded that and a tremendous thank you to everybody who feels that’s been appropriate. I’ve had an enormously enjoyable career and to be recognised as an engineer gives a very good feeling.

Sebastian Vettel—2010/2011 World Champion

Back-to-back titles, the record for pole positions, most laps led, 11 wins last year – what’s your next target?
Oh, we do it again! Obviously, we had a great year, and I think you know we’ll always look back to 2011 and think how special it was, but to be honest, you don’t start the season having, you know, expectations to have the same or similar season again. So we know how special it was and we really enjoyed that but we know how hard it is to be that consistent – always there and nearly every race on the podium – so, you know, the target is to obviously try to do it again and try to get everything out of ourselves, so we’ll see how we get on with the new car, the RB8.

Did you get a chance to enjoy winning another world title?
Yeah, it was obviously, you know, quite busy after the first championship back in 2010, so yeah, in 2011, surely there’s a couple of things you have to do, want to do and you want to give back as well to, you know, people here in the factory, your fans. But after that, around Christmas, it was really time to slow down, back off a little bit and enjoy the peace, have a good rest in order to be prepared for this season. It will be a long and hard season again, but yeah it was really nice to let things sink in and, as I said before, you know, I think it makes you realise how special the season was when you look at the results again and the races itself, and you sum up things a little bit. So, it was a nice eeling and the good thing is, similar to back in 2010, no one can take it away rom you, so it was always stays in your memory.

How did you spend your off-season?
Well, the thing is, many people always imagine the off-season to be as exciting or, you know, busy as the actual season – as in we do crazy things or we live a crazy life. But, to be honest, when you are travelling so much and you are so busy, you enjoy the time you have off really and that’s sitting at home enjoying normal things – watching TV, just not having to do anything. So I think that it was quite important to recharge the batteries, re-fuel the system a little bit, and, yeah, to come back fresh – hopefully fresh enough for this year. So, over Christmas I spent my time home with the family and with friends and then I went skiing a little bit; we had an awful lot of snow this winter so it was quite good. And then, very soon in January, you start to prepare yourself again. You start to work out regularly, so you get back into shape and burn the nnecessary calories and probably the unnecessary weight you might have put n over Christmas.

Are you expecting a bigger, tighter fight this year?
The thing is, at the beginning of last year we didn’t really expect whatever happened last year, so I think it’s the same thing again. It would be wrong to go into this season and expect 2011 to happen again, as in getting into the lead early and having a very big gap to other competitors in the Championship. So I think it will be very, very tight this year and everything else would be a surprise to be honest. Looking at the cars, you know there’s not much room we have left to play (with) for designers and to find something extra. You know, the last two years we have had two big things taken away, the double diffusers, plus, for this year, the system around the blown exhaust. So we are missing that and therefore I think it’s difficult to really create a difference. We’ll see, obviously we hope our car is better than all the others but t will be difficult, and I think the cars will be fairly similar, as in the gaps will e even closer than they have been.

Can you identify any weakness in your game? Are there things you want to work on?
Of course (in) 2011 we were extremely successful and it was a good season, so we did only very few mistakes. But still we sat down during the season and especially after the season and before this season again, trying to identify where we think we can improve, and yeah we got a couple of points. It’s not as if it was a blank sheet, so you would be surprised, and I think you know, we had a couple of pages with things that we can do better, we know we can do better. Of course, there were a lot of things that we did well and we try to keep it up and improve them as well but, as I said, there are a lot of things here and there you know – small things, details, attention to detail – that you can work on that might make a difference on a Sunday. You know we have 20 races, so aybe it helps you only in one out of 20 races, but that might help you to score hat one point more that you might need to be on top at the end, so we’ll see.

What’s it like getting in the new car for the first time?
Obviously, you have a rough idea how the car should look like by what you see in the early stages from the design office, so yes it’s quite exciting to see the full car, everything coming together. So it’s quite a long progress, imagining when we start building the car and to today, where we present it. And again, the most exciting bit is putting it on track and seeing how it feels, so that’s yet to be seen. But (the) first time I jumped into the car for the seat fit – checking the position, checking your pedals, see if everything works – I think it was the same for Mark and myself, we felt extremely comfortable, everything went well and we got our position, comfortable position, fairly quickly. So it didn’t take too long. We had other cars where a little bit here a little bit there, ou know, you always ask for something, but the RB8 was pretty traightforward, so we hope it continues that way.

What do you think about Mr Ecclestone’s hope that you don’t dominate again?
I hope he’s wrong obviously! Its difficult to say. You know, every season we start from zero again and unlike other sports… I don’t know if in tennis, for instance, you’re the number one in the world, there is a certain gap between you and the number two, so you have this cushion and it doesn’t matter if its one year or another year, you still have it, whereas for us it all starts from zero again, zero points, everyone has the same chance and we are all building our new cars. So, until we really put them on track to race each other we don’t really know. So, we’ll see, but I’m as confident as I can be at this point and opefully we will have a good couple of days with the car; a good couple of ays testing to prepare the season well.

Have you thought of a name for the car yet?
Not yet, no name yet! To be honest, last year we found a name I think Wednesday before the first race, in that race week, so we might be a bit earlier this year, but so far, no names. We have a couple of candidates, hot candidates, but nothing is decided yet!

Mark Webber—Seven Times GP Winner

After a period of success, does a car launch come with more or less pressure on the team?
Yes the success of the team in the last few years has been exceptional, so every time we launch a new car there is a lot of anticipation and excitement as you touch on some nerves and expectation. The bar has been set high. We have cleaned up in the last few years, our Constructors’ Championship last year was very dominant. Both drivers are performing near the front and the team is being very reliable, we know that we have to keep working hard. The continuity has been a key factor in that, all of our Partners have been great for us and there is no reason in 2012 we can’t be challenging for top results again.

Are you nervous about giving a car its debut on the test track or is there too much to think about?
I’m very excited about driving the car for the first time, it’s a huge amount of work that has gone into it as always with a new car. The initial running is really about getting as much information as we can, learning what the car strengths are, where some of its weaknesses might be and then we need to work on those very, very quickly. We don’t have much testing before we get to Melbourne and before we know it the winter programme will be over. It is a big responsibility and one that I’m looking forward to.

Last season was tricky for you. What did you take away from 2011?
As you say last year wasn’t an amazing season, but it wasn’t too bad for me. I still managed to finish third in the Drivers’ Championship, not far off second with Jenson there, so it was a great way for me to finish the year with the victory in Brazil and many strong results. We’re always learning as athletes and I’m looking forward to 2012, its got some great opportunities for me. You know the old cliché take each race as it comes but that’s how it will be initially and we’ll go from there.

How much of a boost was the win in Brazil?
The win in Brazil was a great feeling, at this level when you win it’s always very rewarding with the amount of effort that goes in, but when you have the feeling again having the national anthem, all those things that remind you of how unique it is and how important it is to get the most out of yourself and win those grands prix, it’s very, very special.

What are you hoping for from RB8?
The characteristics of the RB8 we’re looking for is a car that’s very driveable which means not only from an engine side, Renault are doing a good job there, but also aerodynamically we need a car that’s functional on all circuits in all temperatures and clearly we need to get the best out of the tyres which was a huge thing last year for everybody. That’s pretty much done now. Everyone knows how the tyres behave, that’s old news. We need to move on and develop the car as best we can without the exhaust affecting the blown diffuser, which was the very powerful thing that the teams used last year. This year that’s changed so that’s going to be a key area of trying to understand the losses we’ve had there.

Will Pirelli’s promise to reduce the performance gap between options help you?
Yes they changed the tyre a little bit this year, but its pretty much old news, the tyres have been around for a while now the teams get on top of that stuff reasonably quickly, and the drivers, I’m talking in the space of a few months to half a year, which is pretty quick, so the teams know what we’re in for so we’ll just get stuck into the racing.

Is 2012 as a chance to lay down a few markers after a tough 2011?
I think off the back of last year many sportsmen or women when you don’t get the most out of a situation you always want to come back and improve and do a better job. The bar has been lifted very, very high in the last few seasons and it’s the challenge I’m looking forward to. I’ve had a really good winter and prepared for the season as best I can so I’m looking forward to the new season, I just cannot wait to get racing. We can talk a lot about it but we need to get on the track.

And finally, what have you been up to over the winter away from Formula One?
I’ve had a great break actually. After Brazil I came back here to Europe and did some stuff in Austria for Red Bull which was good, we did the show run in Milton Keynes, then I did the Tasmanian Challenge which was really enjoyable to see how that went and it was a great race down there and then I could really switch off actually, do a bit of surfing, also got the motorbikes out so had a bit of fun with those. It was really good to spend time with quality people I love being with away from the sport for a while, but I must say that come the middle of January I always get itchy feet to get back into the car again, so it was the perfect balance for me to unwind.