Red Bull Racing revealed their RB18 F1 car, which they hope will allow Max Verstappen to defend his 2021 Drivers' title, plus allow the team to take their first Constructors' title since 2013. The RB18 is the first of F1’s big hitters to reveal their cars, following the launch of the Haas VF22 a week ago. Red Bull also announced that US tech-giant Oracle will become a title sponsor of the team for at least five years. Verstappen will again have Grand Prix winner Sergio Perez as his teammate.
The Key Changes Ahead Of 2022
As we all know, Formula 1’s technical rules have undergone a big change in 2022. New regulations have ripped the rule book up, and the new RB18 reflects this. The front wing is much simpler compared to previous years, and gone are the complex bargeboards on the side of the car. The nose on the RB18 is much longer as well, dropping aggressively to the ground. Downforce will pretty much all come from the underside of the cars, effectively via the return of ground effect. This is to allow for better racing between all cars on the grid.
Red Bull Is Keeping Cards Close To Their Chest
Red Bull very much appeared to keep their cards close to their chest. The car shown in their reveal video bares a close resemblance to the show car F1 launched at Silverstone in 2021, save for some differences around the front wing and side. Christian Horner said that the car would change a lot from testing to the first race in Bahrain, and it is quite likely that the new RB18 hasn’t really shown itself fully just yet. It's likely that a lot of Formula 1 teams will go down this route of not quite revealing their definitive cars.
Oracle Announces Sponsorship Deal
Red Bull also used the launch announcement to share that US tech giant Oracle will move from a standard sponsorship deal with the team to being the title-sponsor, with the team now called Oracle Red Bull Racing. The Associated Press reported that the deal is worth a whopping $100 million per year, for at least five years. This comes following Honda’s exit from the team as its manufacturer partner. Red Bull Powertrains are now in charge of what are effectively re-badged Honda engines, with the HRC logo now appearing on the right-hand side of the RB18. The launch also gave us the chance to see the number one on a Red Bull 2022 model for the first time, which Max Verstappen will use to try to defend his title from 2021.
Source: Oracle Red Bull Racing