The 2021 Formula 1 season has been nothing short of remarkable. It has seen Mercedes and Red Bull locked into what has been, at times, quite a bitter and tense title battle. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have left nothing on the table as one goes for his first world title and the other his eighth, and fingers crossed the battle carries on all the way into the final round of the season. For Red Bull, it is a significant year, as it marks the first time the team has been in a title fight since 2013.

Back then, things were very different. The team had Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber at the wheel of its cars, and the sport was running much skinnier cars, smaller tires, and V8 engines. Now, of course, Verstappen is paired with Sergio Perez and Honda hybrids power today's Formula 1 cars. Red Bull had a grasp on the sport from 2010-2013, winning every driver's and constructor's title in that period which was only stopped due to the advent of the hybrid era in the sport, giving Mercedes its current grasp on F1. The big question though is, just how did Red Bull dominate F1?

The Seeds Of Dominance Being Sewn

Red Bull - Vettel RB5 2009
via Eurosport

The root of Red Bull’s dominance can be traced back to the winter of 2008 and 2009. F1 was undergoing a huge rules reset, with the wide cars laden with aero being replaced by much skinnier cars, with less aero and the return of slick tires to the sport for 2009. This reset saw Brawn GP come out of the ashes of the Honda project as the dominant force but Red Bull, with the Adrian Newey designed RB5, came of age that year as Sebastian Vettel put Jenson Button under immense pressure as the year went on, with Webber also winning a couple of races.

Sebastian Vettel Wins 2010 Drivers Title
via Max F1

The 2010 season though was where Red Bull really showed they meant business. In 19 races that year, Red Bull took 9 wins and 15 pole positions, with Vettel snatching the driver's title at the last race of the year in Abu Dhabi. The RB6 had been an evolution over the RB5, but with a wider nose, bigger diffuser, and a few other changes that ensured it was stacked with downforce. This was an inherent advantage the car had over the likes of Ferrari and McLaren for pretty much the whole of 2010.

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Vettel Mastery In 2011

Vettel Leads The Field In F1 2011
via Eurosport

The RB7 and Sebastian Vettel combination of 2011 however was perhaps Red Bull’s most lethal. Exhaust blown diffuser technology had been reduced for 2011, with exhaust blowing being the act of running exhaust gasses over the diffuser to create more downforce and protect the diffuser from turbulent air by the rear wheels. The FIA clamped down on this practice for 2011, reducing the impact that the blown diffuser would have. Red Bull though came up with the “Cricket-Bat” exhaust, essentially a long, flat exhaust which helped retain a good level of the effect from the full exhaust blown diffuser.

Sebastian Vettel Singapore GP 2011
via AUSmotive

The RB7 was also packaged extremely aggressively, looking a lot slimmer than much of its rivals. Vettel was also able to drive the car in such a way, and manipulate the effect of the exhaust blown diffuser, that he was simply untouchable. The RB7 took 18 out of 19 poles that year with Webber and Vettel at the wheel, and Vettel won 11 of the 19 races in 2011. The team and driver wrapped up both world titles with rounds to spare, making the RB7 one of the most dominant cars in the history of the sport.

Dominance In 2013

Sebastian Vettel Wins 2013 F1 World Title In India
via Red Bull

The RB8 of 2012 didn’t have the dominance of the RB6 or RB7, as the exhaust-blowing effects were outlawed completely for that season. But, the car still took 7 wins that year, with Vettel winning five races and Webber winning two. The team took another constructors title as Vettel wrapped up his third consecutive driver's title, but 2013, the last year in which Red Bull and Vettel won a title, was utterly sensational. Vettel won four races in the early part of the season but swept to nine wins in a row following that year's summer break. The RB9 had no significant trickery that gave it such an advantage in Vettel’s hands. Red Bull had just designed a monster of a car, laden with downforce that Vettel could work his magic with.

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A Fall From Grace In The Hybrid Era

Max Verstappen Leads Lewis Hamilton - 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix
via Formula 1

The hybrid era from 2014 onwards saw Red Bull fall from the top. Daniel Ricciardo took three wins that year but Vettel won none and then left for Ferrari from 2015 onwards. Red Bull have only sporadically won races since 2014 but 2021 has finally seen them back in title contention. Verstappen and Red Bull are giving Hamilton and Mercedes a hard time this season, and it's been perhaps one of the most intense title fights of recent memory. Where Red Bull goes from here with the 2022 regulations coming up is anyone’s guess, but don’t be surprised if they come out on top heading into F1’s new era.

Sources: Eurosport, Max F1, AUSmotive, Formula 1, TODAYonline