Red Bull reveals new-look F1 car design for 2022 season
This year’s cars represent a major departure from their predecessors due to F1’s revolutionary new technical rules that have been introduced with a view to bringing the field closer together and improving the racing.
F1’s new generation of cars feature overhauled aerodynamics with a return to ground-effect philosophy, prescriptively shaped wings, 18-inch wheel rims and low-profile tyres.
Red Bull released the first images of its 2022 design on Wednesday afternoon as part of an interactive fan experience. The RB18 retains the team’s traditional colour scheme and distinctive branding, as well as featuring new title sponsor Oracle.
The Milton-Keynes outfit hope its new challenger will help it build on the success of its 2021 campaign that saw the team claim its first world title of the V6 hybrid era.
Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to the drivers’ crown in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that was shrouded in controversy, while Red Bull missed out on the constructors’ title to Mercedes.
The RB18 will be driven by the reigning world champion and Sergio Perez during the forthcoming season which begins on March 20 in Bahrain.
It will be the first F1 car to feature the #1 on it since Sebastian Vettel’s RB10 in 2014 after Verstappen elected to swap his permanent #33 for the number reserved for the world champion.
In a bid to closely guard their design secrets and not give away key details to rivals looking to see how the new rules have been interpreted, teams are not expected to present an exact representation of their cars until pre-season testing begins in Barcelona on February 23-25.