There was a time when purple was used by royals to signify their difference from everyday folk and one can perhaps understand if, after three years of Championship success, Red Bull Racing was not feeling a little regal. In reality, of course, there is no such thought process behind the decision but rather the usual deciding factor in all matters F1 – money. The RB9 features purple bodywork in order to accommodate the desires of Infiniti, which has taken over the sidepods, replacing the traditional Red Bull branding.
Red Bull and Infiniti now share the rear wing. The partnership is clearly important to the team as it seeks to maintain primary position in the pecking order with the Renault-Nissan parternship, its engine supplier. The team is pictured about with Infiniti’s Simon Sproule.
The RB9 is clearly a development of Adrian Newey’s successful RB6, RB7 and RB8 designs, with few visible changes beyond the colour scheme. This is no great surprise as the design team remains little changed with Rob Marshall as Chief Designer and Peter Prodromou as Head of Aerodynamics. The car features a stepped nose, similar to that seen last year. The team says that the biggest challenge this year will be the new Pirelli tyres and that the first team to truly understand them will have an advantage. Newey also says that scope for development this year was very limited given that the rules are very similar to 2012.
“It’s an evolutionary car,” Newey said. “There were no big regulation changes over the winter. The most significant change is not the regulations, it’s the new Pirelli tyres, but we’re only going to find out anything about them in testing. It’s really been a case of refining the RB8. There are no huge changes. It’s very much an evolutionary car. All the principles the same as last year. The devil has very much been in the detail with this car. We’ve tidied up some bits that we felt could be improved on. Development is now the key through the year.”
The car will be raced this year (as usual) by Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.
What a sensational looking car. Interesting to see Infiniti having such prominence. With continuity in every key area who’d be against RBR winning again this year?
Me, enough of the Vettel’s cake walk championships. Maybe Helmut could let Webber have a go, yeah right.
Absolutely awesome livery! Can’t wait to see that thing screaming around Albert Park.
F1 launch 2013 – the year of the shambles. Total fail.
All the melodramatic secrecy strikes me as RB taking themselves a bit too seriously #uptheirownbottoms
I’m actually surprised at mclaren who seem to have launched in full daylight and with people taking photos a couple of meters away. Yes it will be a lot of dummy parts but I actually think the lack of secrecy is quite odd. Red bull have a lot of secrets – and it clearly works for them – so the secrecy makes sense.
If they were this secretive and losing however – I could see why it’d make them look silly…
If looks could kill.. That purple says ‘merciless’.
Why did Red Bull not allow people to take pictures at the launch?
Should be easy to spot on the circuit from quite a distance.Sunglasses needed for all pit crew.
Not really “stepped nose, similar to that seen last year” – last year, they had the big vent in that area…
I am sure you know best.
Look, compare this to the pictures above: http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/58329000/jpg/_58329296_redbull2.jpg
Perhaps it dod not cross your mind that I am a little busy at the moment.
Relax, Joe. We all make mistakes.
You do?
It has a stepped nose as many cars last year did. Are you over-parsing a sentence and including meaning not inferred? Surely that’s your problem or failed grip of English?
Not so sure about the additional colour. It’s starting to look a little like a circus show…which might be appropriate given that F1 is a bit of a circus at times.
Seriously though, it looks rather disjointed and not terribly well thought out to me (the colours, not the engineering- that’ll be top notch).
Guess we’ll wait to see how it looks in real life on the track.
Top surface of the front wing assembly looks interesting.
Interesting tweets from the hacks at the launch. Saying they’re not being allowed to take photos or get anywhere near the car…
Very disappointed with the somewhat shambolic online/social media part of the launch. During the morning the RB web site promised a short feature on YouTube at 13.00 (a 3.5 minute film duly appeared) and then we were invited to return to the web site at 14.00 for some live clips and features. As of 15.30 nothing has appeared ! What a contrast to the slickly produced Lotus E21 launch and the effort McLaren made for its online audience.
Perhaps, as reigning constructors, the RB team felt it did not need to work too hard to keep its fans happy.
Cadbury don’t want to get their name on that?!
It does not cease to amaze me why Renault allows Infiniti to get such a visibility at the expense of them? Are, (me being sarcastic), sellings of cars with a diamond logo in such a good shape that they can afford to let Infiniti get promotion?
They are actually Red Bull-Renault I believe so Renault get plenty of coverage. Plus infinity my be putting more financial support in than Renault do by just supplying the engine. It must cost a fair nit to have your brand splashed over the side pods.
TK, are you are of the Renault-Nissan Alliance? And Infiniti are a brand of Nissan.
I know it very well. I am just curious why the main brand, which has problems itself allows one of secondary marques to have such a big publicity.
Surprised not to see a ‘purple reign’ pun in the title somewhere! Guess you must be busy Joe!
He’ll be saving it for a race report or GP+ cover at some point.
*like*
Harold Brodkey once wrote (of a woman): “To see her in sunlight was to see Marxism die.” Beautiful car. As always.
I hate these guys.
I hope this one fries twice as many alternators (Vettels car). Somebody take the batteries out of Newey’s calculator already.
Hmmm. Could have just sprayed last year’s car and rolled it out. How many would have noticed? The marginal changes across the teams highlights the need for regular significant rule changes to change the envelope designers work within. Hopefuly 2014 will be more interesting
who’ s the man standing next zu Seb in the second picture?
It is mentioned in the text
the ability to read is priceless, thank you Joe.
As they Helmut states they get equal cars I really hope Webber enjoys driving this years model built for Vettel’s driving style.
I’d be interested to know how many man-hours it takes to apply the paint and stickers to some of these F1 cars.
I was surprised at how much is still hand painted by graphic artists – I’d have thought it was all high tech printing – but I remember the Mercedes star being done with paint brushes on some bbc segment. Must be fairly devastating every time a careless driver wipes a nose off each weekend.
I find Infiniti’s desperate calls for attention by claiming Red Bull Racing success as part of their own is laughable. Nothing in their lineup is class-leading and their attempt at launching a performance line like M/AMG/F/RS is quite half-assed. And a Vettel branded SUV shows exactly how mixedup and confused the Nissan board is regarding its position as an F1 sponsor.
They are a sponsor.
How long will it be before Nissan buys the Red Bull F1 team?
why buy the cow when you get the milk for free? Nissan and Renault are co-owned.
Perhaps only when billionaire, open cheque book red bull get bored of winning endlessly.
Looks good but can it maitain it’s lead on the track?
Wow, rather psychedelic; is Red Bull introducing a new drink to go with the colour scheme? Groovy.
Everybody note the new mirrors, which this year include their own smoke vents.